


The Darkness Preys

by Nakamura_Ryousuke09



Category: Dir en grey
Genre: Action, Attempted Murder, Character Death, Death, Gen, Horror, Minor Original Character(s), Murder, Murder Mystery, Mystery, Occult, Paranormal, Some Humor, Supernatural Elements
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-05
Updated: 2017-08-04
Packaged: 2018-09-28 12:51:23
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 26
Words: 46,755
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10101560
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nakamura_Ryousuke09/pseuds/Nakamura_Ryousuke09
Summary: After the unexplained disappearance of Kyo during an overseas tour, Dir en grey returned to Japan and went on an indefinite hiatus. One year later, an ill-willed person comes to haunt the remaining four members with full intent on taking their lives. Will the band be able to conquer their unknown enemy from the shadows and discover the truth behind Kyo's disappearance?





	1. A Continuation of that Scary Dream

**Author's Note:**

> The following story is a work of fiction. The portrayal of the members of Dir en grey and related staff are entirely fictional. Other characters and events that occur in the story are also entirely fictional and any resemblance to them are purely coincidental.
> 
> This work is authored by me, Ryousuke Nakamura. Any form of duplication is restricted. This story will only be published on Archive of Our Own, Wattpad and on my personal writing site, "http://nakamura-ryousuke.wix.com/desecrated-soul". Each chapter will be accompanied by a musical piece as background music. Please be sure to check it out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> BGM: Diabolos by Dir en grey

_“Can you translate for him to tell us about the last time he saw Kyo?”_

_“What happened during the last time you saw Kyo, Kaoru?”_

_“I was outside the diner we were having dinner at having a smoke. Kyo came out and said he was heading to the bus. I went back into the diner to join the rest of us. By the time we got back to the bus, I noticed that Kyo was not on it. I asked the driver who was in there and he said Kyo had never got on.”_

_“Did he message you or anyone else about his whereabouts?”_

_“No. I don’t know anything after I last saw him. We all searched throughout the night until we decided to call the police.”_

_“Is there any reason that your band member would leave on his own?”_

_“I don’t think it’s possible. We are foreigners here in America. We are not familiar with the area. Tomorrow is our next gig and there’s no way he would leave without explanation.”_

_Kyo may have been unpredictable, but Kaoru knew in his gut that Kyo was caught up in something nasty. The police questioned Die and Toshiya already. Shinya and the rest of the roadies were still waiting outside the questioning room. Kaoru’s lungs were itching for nicotine. In times of stress, the urge for a smoke was particularly strong._

_“You are free to go.”_

_Kaoru left the room and greeted the rest of the band._

_“I’m going out for a bit,” he said and quickly walk down the hallway._

_Die and Toshiya watched as their usually composed guitarist left them._

_“I’m going to buy us some drinks,” said one of the roadies._

_He walked towards the end of the bright hallway disappeared around the corner, leaving Die and Toshiya on their own. They both leaned with their backs on the wall._

_“I really wish this was all a dream,” said Toshiya._

_“I hope so too,” agreed Die._

_“Kyo simply got lost in the middle of the night and will turn up tomorrow morning,” said Toshiya._

_“You know that’s not going to happen,” said Die._

_“We can only pray,” said the bassist._

_*****_

 Die slammed the door to his house. He tossed his keys on top of the shoe cabinet.

“I’m home,” he called out.

He slipped off his boots and dropped his black designer bag on the ottoman in the living room.

“Miki?”

The Russian blue was nowhere in sight. She typically greeted her owner with a “meow” of approval and rub around his leg. _She must have hidden away somewhere_ , thought Die. He hung his black leather jacket on the coat rack and dragged himself to the bathroom to shower. It had been a rough day.

    The dark circles and bags under Die’s eyes were hard to miss. The storm from the night before flooded the studio at work and therefore DECAYS’ rehearsal was delayed. Negotiations for new tour goods went sour after the contract with the production factory was terminated. One dilemma had piled atop another. Die stopped to look in the large bathroom mirror. His red highlights were fading. _Maybe I should have stuck with black. I look good in black anyway._

    Die let the warm water pound over his head. He wondered how the other members of Dir en grey were faring. It had been a year since they last talked. Was Kaoru’s radio show running smoothly? Did Toshiya’s fashion line continue to manage well? How is Shinya working as a temporary drummer for other bands? After Kyo’s disappearance on their North American tour, the band went on indefinite hiatus shocking their fans. To form a new band with a new vocalist under the same moniker was almost like a desecration to their name. Unable to cope with the loss, the remaining four went separate ways. It simply wasn’t Dir en grey without the original five.

     By the time Die was finished showering, it was 2AM. He wasn’t in the mood for a drink nor was able to settle for a good night’s sleep. Inspiration for new songs was not coming anytime soon. Walking to his modest kitchen, Die filled up a small pot of water. He turned on the stove and emptied the contents of a miso soup package into the pot. In the refrigerator was some leftover _gyoza_ and a hodge podge of dishes in stackable plastic containers. Die removed the plastic wrap and chucked the plate of _gyoza_ into the microwave. He shoveled some tofu cubes into the boiling miso soup and tore open a pack of wakame to sprinkle some of it. The lid was capped onto the pot and left to simmer. By this time, the microwave sounded. Die took out the hot plate with a towel and placed it on the kitchen counter. The savory smell of soup permeated through the air. He turned down the blue flames and proceeded into the living room with his plate of _gyoza_.

    Die flipped open his Macbook and logged on the Dir en grey chat room. About twenty or so members of「a knot」were logged in. He typed in “hello”. Many greeted back almost instantly in a warm fashion. “I’m back at home enjoying a late night snack,” Die wrote.

The fans replied with emoticons and their sir situations at home. Some asked about his late night snack while other inquired about his well being. It was always comforting for Die to hear the voices of his fans no matter how trivial the comments were. A simple “ganbatte” was enough of a reason to continue on.

“How are the other members doing?” one fan asked.

    It was a troubling question. Die didn’t want an answer that would cause unrest, nor did he want to lie about knowing how his band mates were doing.

“We are thankful for our fans’ concerns. With your support, we are continuing what we can so best for now as Dir en grey.”

He signed off and ate a gyoza. Die had successfully evaded the question and breathed a sigh of relief as he leaned backwards on the sofa. The heavy stone was off his chest for now.

    “Oh shit!” Die cursed out.    

The fragrant smell from the kitchen had crawled into the living room. Die ran into the kitchen to see a violently fuming pot. He immediately tuned off the heat and removed the lid. Thankfully the soup had not condensed into an inedible mess. Die gave it a stir and ladled a bowl for himself. The day may have been a terrible one, but at least food will not fail him. He returned to the living room with a hot bowl of delicious soup and turned on the TV.

    A late night talk show was on, but it wasn’t of interest for Die. He flipped through some dramas, a variety show, and a documentary. None were too engaging. Finally, he stopped on a news channel.

    _“An American citizen refused to show his bag during inspection at the Japanese customs at Narita International Airport. Footage shows the American passenger wrestling furiously with the customs police before managing to escape with the bag. He was last seen taking the airport taxi heading towards Tokyo. The Tokyo Metropolitan Police has issued a warrant for the suspect. The suspect has been ...”_

 _As if things weren’t chaotic already_ , thought Die.

    The images on the screen began to waver and the sound grew choppy. The screen then grew black with a message of “lost signal”.

Strange, Die thought again. _Perhaps it is a minor disruption_.

The screen flickered back to normal and the news channel resumed.

_“... it is believed that the suspect may be carrying a ...”_

The image then changed to a variety show Die had previously flipped to. He looked around to see if he accidentally sat on the remote. The remote was on the table next to his Macbook.

    More channels started occupying the screen switching back and forth out of control. Die pointed the remote to turn off the device, but it would not yield. Frustrated, he pressed the button repeatedly. The lights in the house were blinking on its own. Even the radio had turned itself on. Just then a picture of Kyo flashed on the TV startling Die. After the brief appearance, the TV continued to change channels on its own. Die couldn’t suppress his heart beating wildly out of his chest. _What was Kyo doing there? It must have been my imagination._

    A familiar voice called out on the radio.

“Die.”

Die jerked from his seat.

“... run ... now ... leave!” it said cracking over the static.

“Kyo! Is that you?” Die asked in fear.

“It’s here ... run!”

Kyo’s voice faded over the static. Die immediately jolted from the living room to the front door. He hastily grabbed the leather jacket from the coat rack and snatched his keys. The dangerous aura was creeping closely as if it were about to latch onto Die’s back. Just as he jammed his foot into his boot, Die felt a pair of menacing hands grip tightly around his throat. 

*********

“Good work everyone!”

Kaoru had just finished recording his live radio show, The Freedom of Expression.

“Kaoru-san! Let’s run out for a late night drink.”

“Not today Joe,” Kaoru declined politely.

“Eh ... why? It’s only a quarter past 1,” answered Joe.

“I think I’ll pass today. Maybe another time,” the ever so calm guitarist said.

Kaoru buttoned his wool coat and put on his black military cap. He felt the brisk air hit his face when he exited the studio. Fortunately his apartment was not too far away. There were few people on the streets tonight. The bright neon signs of restaurants glowed glamorously in the dark night. Kaoru had walked for twenty minutes. He was reaching near his home. _Buzz buzz._ The phone in his coat pocket vibrated. The screen showed an unknown number. Kaoru swiped the surface to dismiss the call. _Buzz buzz._ The unknown number was calling again.

    “Hello?” Kaoru answered gruffly.

All he heard was static on the other line. He hung up and returned the phone to his pocket. _Buzz buzz._

“For God’s sake, who the hell keeps calling,” said Kaoru annoyed.

He picked up and answered angrily, “Whoever this is. Stop calling this number.”

The static on the phone resumed.

“ ... Kao ... ru ... ” a broken up voice said.

“Hello? _Hello?_ Who is this?”

Faintly in the background, Kaoru heard an instrumental of Inward Scream playing eerily. It had been a year since he last heard it. What struck him now in a panic was that this particular instrumental was never released. It was a demo piece that no one has ever heard apart from the band.

    As if something was rewinding, the scratchy sounds pierced Kaoru’s ears. Slowly he realized that he was listening to a distorted recording of more Inward Screams. The call hung up by itself and ended in dial tone. Kaoru subsequently called back the unknown number, but with no luck. The notification light started flashing. He felt a spike at his gut. Kaoru swiped to see that it was multiple text messages one after the other, each reading the same exact words.

_Save Die._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading the first chapter. So what did you think was going on? Who do you think is in Die's house? Who's calling Kaoru in the night?


	2. Crimson Horror

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> BGM: Decayed Crow by Dir en grey

Kaoru ran as fast as his legs could carry him. He didn’t know how much further away Die’s house was. His instincts told him that Die was in mortal danger. The bottomless pit in his stomach seemed to send out rapid signals of fear. Kaoru whizzed past the bright stores and into the lonely streets. The overhead street lamps cast their light watching the man scurry to his destination. After many twists and turns, Kaoru finally reached Die’s front door. The house lights were on. He tried to look through the windows, but the shades obstructed his view. He rang the doorbell many times, but no one answered. After no reply, he pounded the door.

“Die! Answer me!” Kaoru shouted.

He heard a loud crash inside the house following by a screeching cat.

    Inside the house, Die was choking from the suffocating grip. He could not see who it was, but that this person’s grip was exceedingly strong around his neck. In a flurry of motion, Die slammed his body against the mirror in the hall. The smashed mirror only revealed the figure to be clad in red. He could hear the person behind him growl and breathe intensely, still refusing to let go of Die. Die then rammed himself into a small table knocking over its glass contents. The person finally let go and Die laid sprawled on the glass shards. He turned to see that his assailant was not a person at all. The humanoid beast had red crackly sin like a lizard and bore slits for nostrils. Its glittering black eyes looked menacingly at Die. At this moment, it was ready to assault Die head on. Miki darted from behind the sofa in the living room and attacked the monster in the face. The monster grabbed her and threw her across the room. As she flew in the air, she gave out a large cry.

    Miki hissed at the monster and scrambled beside Die. The red monster lunged forward to tear apart his target. Die grabbed the remote on the coffee table and threw it at its face. The black plastic proved to be mere child’s play as the beast easily brushed the obstacle away. Die was already at the far end of the living room, away from the beast, with a baseball bat in his hands. It was a long steel rod that a friend gifted him and he had abandoned it behind some drawers. _Thank goodness it was out in the open_ , Die thought.

    The red monster jumped over the sofa with ease ready to punch Die in the face. Die waved the bat wildly to maintain some distance. He furiously struggled to remember the kendo lessons he learned as a youth. Only bits and pieces seem to appear at this critical time. The monster made a grab for the bat only to have its arm struck by Die. It made a low growl and tried once more. Die swung the bat with such great force that it whacked the monster in its face, disabling it briefly.

    The metal bat sunk into the cavity of the face cracking the cheekbones. Flecks of blood landed on Die’s cheek as the monster went tumbling to the ground. His own heavy breathing coupled with his wildly beating heart were the only sounds he could perceive until the pounding door broke his concentration. Kaoru’s voice was calling his name. Die turned briefly to the direction of the door. To his surprise, the red beast was up again and ready to pounce. Die swung the bat to defend himself only to have it caught by the gigantic hands. He defiantly pulled the bat, but the bat wouldn’t budge. The beast flung the bat along with Die across the room. He crashed into the glass cabinets and flopped to the ground with a loud thump.

    Pain from the blow shot across his back and onto his arms. The metal bat cracked the TV screen and rolled away from Die. Die clutched onto his sides in agony. It appears that one of the items on his shelved had jutted into his waist during the hit. Some glass shards clung onto his palms. The monster walked to Die in hammering steps and dangled him by the neck. Die grappled the monstrous hand as he felt the precious oxygen escaping his lungs. His vision was blurring and breathing became exceedingly difficult. While he thrashed against the resistance, he couldn’t help, but think, _Was this the end to Die, the guitarist of Dir en grey?_

    Kaoru heard multiple crashes and fiddled with the doorknob. He barraged himself against the door. The sturdy door didn’t yield to the assaults. _If only I had a crowbar_ , he thought desperately. There was nothing around the house that was useful. Miki hissed and watched her owner being strangled. She heard the pounding door knowing that it was someone her owner trusted. She tried biting and scratching, but the monster only kicked her away like she was a rag doll. Miki glided across the living room to the hallway connecting to the front door.    

    Something glittering laid on the floor with Die’s scent on it. It was his keys that had fallen out of his hands when he was first choked in the hallway. Miki eyes the pounding door. She grasped the keys in her mouth and limped to the mail slot. It was too high for her to reach. She gave a loud yowl dropping the keys. Miki stretched her body as best as she could. Still it was far from reach. She kept meowing and pawing the door.

    Kaoru could hear Die’s cat. Then he heard the sound of a metal flap moving. It was the mail slot on the door. It wasn’t like he could stick his hand through the slot and open the door. Yet the flap wouldn’t stop moving. He decided on a whim to push open the slot to see what was going on. He caught glimpses of Miki. She kept jumping with something in her mouth. It became clear when Kaoru heard the jingle. He thrust his hand through the slot. It stopped abruptly at his wrist. He could feel Miki brush her soft fur as she jumped. The cold metal dropped onto his palm. The keys were finally in his hands. There was little time for triumph as he heard the loud noises cease in the house. Fumbling with the keys, Kaoru stuck the keys in their respective places. The lock clicked open and Kaoru rushes in.

    The hallway was littered with broken glass and mirror shards. The glass cracked under Kaoru’s boots as he burst into the living seeing a suffocating Die. His blood ran cold seeing the red beast. The muscular and scaly back exuded the aura of a killing machine. He frantically looked around for a weapon. The steel bat was beyond his reach and everything around him was broken to bits. He turned to look at the kitchen and spotted the kitchen knife that Die used to cut up the tofu lying on the cutting board. Without hesitation, Kaoru grabbed the knife and ran behind the monster. It didn’t seem to notice him one bit. With all his strength, Kaoru plunged the kitchen knife into the heart of the beast.

    The red beast dropped the half conscious Die to the ground to which he hit with a thunk. It froze and clutched its chest. In a boisterous explosion of white smoke, the monster was reduced to a small newt with the knife plunged through its chest. Kaoru rushed over to Die on the floor and sat him up. Die coughed weakly. His head was spinning, but his vision was slowly regaining clarity. Kaoru’s echoing voice was becoming distinctly clear.

“Breathe Die. Just take it easy,” assuaged Kaoru.

“Kaoru .. how did you know to find me?” asked Die.

“Gee. I don’t even know how to explain the circumstances,” said Kaoru.

    He started from the strange phone calls up to the encounter with the red monster.

“I even have the texts to prove it,” said Kaoru who was now pulling his phone out.

He swiped to show Die his messages, except they have all disappeared.

“That’s impossible. I could have sworn they were there before.”

Kaoru flipped to his call log. The unknown number had disappeared.

“What’s going on?” Kaoru thought aloud.

“It doesn’t matter,” said Die picking the glass out of his hands. “We saw something unbelievable, you and me. I don’t think calling the police will do any good. Great. I have so much shit to clean up.”

“First let’s get you patched up,” said Kaoru.

    After removing the glass shards and disinfecting the stinging cuts, Kaoru wrapped Die’s palm tightly in gauze. He eyed the dead newt and the scarred furniture.

“How much for that TV of yours?” Kaoru asked.

“Not a lot. Got it at a bargain sale,” replied Die.

“I never knew you were that kind of guy going after sales,” chuckled Kaoru.

“You gotta go after the sales, Kaoru. How else can I afford Chrome Hearts? Gotta look my best for the fans.”

Both guitarists gave a loud hearty laugh. They got up from the floor and went to sweep up the debris. The living room and hallway was in the process of tidying up when Miki came hobbling from the hallway. Die picked up his pet and stroked her gently. Miki purred in her owner’s embrace.

“If it weren’t for your cat, I wouldn’t have been able to get in,” said Kaoru now swinging the keys in his hands.

“I’ll take her to the vet tomorrow. That thing hit her pretty hard when it attacked her. I just hope the vet doesn’t think I abused her,” said Die.

    Kaoru picked up the knife and shook off the corpse. On the belly of the newt were some strange characters inscribed on it. Die looked at it with disgust.

“This looks like one of those creepy curses you see exorcism shows,” remarked Kaoru.

“Who the hell is into this kind of sick stuff and how does Kyo fit into all of this?” said Die.

“You heard Kyo too?” asked Kaoru.

“Yeah. It was weird, but somehow he appeared on the radio and warned me to leave,” said Die.

“The phone calls. The strange messages. You hearing him in the house. You don’t suppose he’s ...” said Kaoru.

“Dead?” finished Die.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading a violent chapter of two guitarists beating up a hellish creature. There are more violent events to come in the future. This is only the beginning. What do you suppose happened to Kyo? Where do you see the story headed to?


	3. Trapped in the Dreambox

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> BGM: "Yokosou ni Dreambox" Aruiwa Seijuku no Rinen to Tsumetai Ame by Dir en grey

The warm sun lifted the cold curtain of air and entered Shinya’s room. Its brilliant rays splashed onto his study desk stacked with stationary, books, and of course Cheburashka. This was the perfect time for reading. Shinya was immersed in his novel. He was trapped in a world of a gritty noir mystery. The black and white words that lined up neatly danced along the page. The stems of the characters broke apart and on the cream page like tiny worms. Shinya immediately dropped the book. His face was a sheet of white.

    Slowly he picked up the book from the floor and opened it up to the where he left off. The words didn’t move anymore. As he flipped to the following page, the text was static as if the strange incident form before had never occurred. Shinya flipped through every page to inspect it contents. It was a regular old book.

    Reading continued with no hindrance. The afternoon was quiet except with sounds of tweeting sparrows and an occasional rustle of dry leave. Shinya put down the book and rubbed his eyes. Perhaps the fatigue was getting to him, he thought. The late night outings with friends the previous day was taking a toll on his sleep. His fuzzy slippers dragged into the bathroom.

    Shinya flipped on the switch and busied himself at the sink. He splashed the cool water onto his face. The fatigue didn’t seem to fade. He looked up at the mirror and saw a long haired girl in a tattered white dress standing in the bathtub behind him. Shinya let out an unearthly gasp and turned around. The girl was gone. He looked at the mirror and back at the tub. There was no girl. 

*****

 “You think it looked something like this?” said Die pointing at the computer screen.

Kaoru swiveled the chair next to Die.

“No. It’s still missing a few characters,” corrected Kaoru. “Last I remembered, you can read kanji too.”

“I didn’t pay attention to the stuff written on that ... thing.”

The library was empty save for a few people, they didn’t seem to notice two influential rockers in their presence. The room was illuminated by the sun outside. Its walls were painted sunflower yellow and floors were carpeted in gray. Kaoru and Die were seated in the table area blocked off by tall bookcases. 

    A pile of books on the occult lay stacked on the table. Kaoru thumbed through a heavily bound book on apparitions. Die had filed a case with the police for attempted murder by unknown assailant. He refrained from going into details about the newt. As for Kaoru, he went with the “I happen to be in the area” excuse.

“I think I found out what it means,” said Die. “It says here that this particular seal was used by an obscure branch of Chinese black magic for animating bodies. This seal when drawn onto the body of an animal  will force the host to hunt down an intended target. The intent of the seal varies with the caster.”

“Clearly the intent was to kill you,” concluded Kaoru.

“It’s so hard to believe that Kyo is ... you know,” said Die sadly. “It’s been one year already. Isn’t it still too early to jump to conclusions?”

    “I don’t know how else to explain all of this after seeing what I’ve seen last night. He came into contact with us and he’s been helping us  out. Maybe we can get some answers from him as to why this stuff is happening now,” said Kaoru.

“How come you’re so easily into this supernatural kind of business? Are you a exorcist on the low? Is this your secret life?” joked Die.

Kaoru let out a sigh. “Let’s just say I’ve encountered some strange and inexplicable things more than once.”

He ran his fingers through his wavy brown hair. There were too many questions that needed answering. _Who wants to kill Die? Why is it happening now? Does Kyo have anything to do with this?_ Kaoru dropped the book and picked up another one. There he paused on one page and read aloud.

    “Séances. Some people call upon a spirit through this ritual called a séance, usually with the assistance of a medium. Sessions vary between practices. Hmm, they’re not very specific here. In a Spiritualistic séance, rooms are fully lit. Oh I see, this is where ouija boards come in. In small séances, groups typically hold hands and are seated in a circle to conduct communication with spirits.”

“It’s like those things they do in movies to scare people. And mediums? Most of the time, they’re charlatans,” said Die.

“I don’t need a medium to prove what I saw,” said Kaoru.

“You think we can do this on our own?

“It’s worth a try.”

*****

 In the dressing room, Shinya was busying himself at the table. His bloodshot eyes and sunken cheeks made him look like a crazed addict.

“Shinya you look terrible today. What happened?” asked Naoto.

“A couple of sleepless nights. Maybe a nightmare or two,” Shinya tried to say in the most calm way possible.

“Looks like you have to go heavy on the foundation for today’s shoot.”

    The bright lights and white backdrop were set up ready for Shinya to enter. He was clad in a gothic punk inspired outfit punched with studs and zippers. The photographer went straight into the shooting. As the lights flashed, Shinya could feel a bit of his life tug away. Every pose he made ached his joints and set his body aflame.

    During the break, Shinya gulped down the ice coffee. Refreshing as the cold drink was, it wasn’t rejuvenating him. He could feel his stomach churn when the icy contents settled down.

“Hey, Shinya. Maybe we should call it quits today. We can continue tomorrow. I think we have another time slot,” said Naoto.

“No, it’s ok. You have a tight schedule. I don’t want to ruin it,” Shinya smiled weakly. “Let’s get it done.”

    When the shoot was over, Shinya crashed onto a sofa in the studio. His head was spinning terribly. The lack of sleep in the last few nights was affecting him more than usual. The girl from before kept appearing around the house. She had even started to haunt him in his dreams, chasing after him with hollow eyes and unkempt hair. Worst of all was the snakes. Shinya hated snakes more than anything in the world. First he would see words turning into little moving squiggles. Now they would converge into a viper and slither on the pages of his books. Hisses escaped around the house and sometimes he would feel something scaly curling around his leg.

    Reflexively, Shinya jerked from his seat. No snakes. No girl. The sparse room contained a sleek black coffee table, the lightly colored sofa Shinya was sitting on, and a wiry branch installation inside a cylindrical white vase on the floor. It was time to leave anyways. Shinya picked up his belonging and left. He was not looking forward to going home. As he walked the streets, he let the brisk air soak into his skin. He already felt drained of energy. The biting cold was doing nothing to his already numbing senses.

    When Shinya reached the door, he caught a glimpse of blonde hair at the corner of his eye. He turned to see that it was nothing, but an empty street with street lamps. _Another hallucination_ , he thought. Shinya felt something cold brush his back. It was a strange tingly sensation traveling down his spine. He slowly turned to look behind, surprised to come face to face with someone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for making it this far to another strange episode. Who do you think Shinya met face to face with?


	4. That's Where the Truth Is

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> BGM: Vinushka by Dir en grey

The kotatsu was cleared of snacks and tea. Kaoru lit a fat white candle and set it in the center of a metal dish. The compact guest room was cozy and tight. The wooden cabinets lined up against the walls. A small TV sat atop a tiny stand. The glass case nearby was enclosed with thousands of CDs. Kaoru dimmed the lights and sat across from Die.

“Do we have to use the candle? Can’t we just leave the lights one?” complained Die.

“No. We are sticking with the candle. The book says that spirits disrupt electricity flow because they are energy themselves,” ordered Kaoru. “Don’t tell me you’re afraid of the dark.”

Die rolled his eyes at Kaoru’s comment.

“C’mon let’s get this over with.”

Kaoru then placed a microphone on the table.

“It’s that ... Kyo’s mic?” asked Die.

“Having an item belonging to the ... departed ... allows for better communication,” said Kaoru.

    The two stared at the table for a brief moment before holding hands. Kaoru closed his eyes and focused intently. Die glanced around the dark room before closing his eyes.

“Kyo if you can hear us, we want to talk to you. We need your help,” recited Kaoru.

Die took a peek at Kaoru and at the room before closing his eyes again.

“Kyo, I call upon you to reveal yourself to us,” said Kaoru again.

“There was only silence.

“I don’t think it’s working,” whispered Die.

“Shut up and concentrate,” Kaoru whispered back.

“We look stupid holding hands in a dark room.”

    The candle flame flickered a little in the closed room. Kaoru continued to mutter under his breath while focusing on the image of Kyo. _Kyo where are you? We need your help. Tell us, why did Die get attacked? How did you know to look for me?_ Die was slowly drifting into thought. Kaoru’s chanting was becoming faint as he began to see the memory from one year ago. The tour bus was passing through a field of cable lines and empty land. A large green sign read “Colorado”. Wherever the hell that was on the map. Kyo looked outside the passing trees. His black notebook sat on top a table along with a cup of cold Starbucks coffee. The bus was pulling up to a gas station. It meant a quick break to stretch their legs.

    The sky was cloudy and gray for the most part. The air felt damp. A few of the roadies entered the mini-mart to replenish on water and supplies. Kyo stretched his arms and wiggled his shoulders.

“Kyo, do you need anything?” asked Die.

“Hn? Not really. Just some fresh air. I’m bored,” Kyo replied.

He shuffled across the asphalt in his thick, black hoodie. Die followed along. As he walked, the mini-mart came out of view. The asphalt beneath his feet was disappearing into white, Kyo’s figure got hazier and hazier.

    Die’s memory was cut short by a glowing white screen. Kaoru released his hands and tapped Die. The TV had turned on by itself.

“Kyo?” Kaoru called out softly.

Kyo’s figure was slowly showing up on the screen. He was walking towards them in a blanket of white light.

“Guys? Is that you?” said Kyo.

Die clapped his hand over his mouth. Kaoru took a deep inhale. They both crawled in front of the TV and sat cross legged like children glued to morning cartoons.

    “I heard you guys calling for help. I tried to reach out, but this is the best I can do,” apologized Kyo.

“No, no, Kyo. It’s great. We’re so glad to see you finally,” smiled Kaoru. “Thanks for the phone call.”

“Oh that was nothing,” said Kyo rubbing the back of his neck. “I tried to get Die out, but I couldn’t make it in time. Sorry about that. I couldn’t tap into your house for some reason.”

“Nah! Don’t take it too hard on yourself,” assured Die.

“I can’t appear for long periods of time. I’m kind of getting the hang of it now. Stuff like TVs are easy,” explained Kyo.

    “So what happened a year ago that made you like ... this,” began Kaoru.

“We all looked everywhere for you. Believe me. Toshiya and I went as far as that forest,” said Die, “We tried everything. Even the local police gave up.”

“I’m sorry I caused all of this,” sighed Kyo.

“Don’t say that,” said Kaoru. “So tell us. What happened?”

Kyo looked at the bottom of the screen before making eye contact with Kaoru and Die.

“I think I’m dead, but I wasn’t exactly killed in a way,” Kyo began.

Kaoru and Die exchanged puzzled looks.

“When I left the diner that day, I was going to go to the bus, but I blacked out. When I woke up I was strapped down. The next thing you know I am floating next to my body.”

    “You were what?” said Die.

“Floating. I saw myself strapped to the table. It was freaky. I didn’t even realize I was temporarily dead.”

“So are you even considered alive?” asked Kaoru.

“The person responsible for all this is one sick guy. He performed a soul extraction which forcefully removed my soul from my flesh body. So normally this should mean I’m dead. But ... ” said Kyo. “Something didn’t work out.”

“The ritual backfired?” guessed Die.

“Not exactly. Things didn’t go as he planned,” said Kyo. “He tried to transfer the rest of me into the body of a friggin’ toad, but we can clearly see that didn’t happen.”

    “He what!” Die blurted out.

“I know. Hell, I don’t even know how I ended up here. My memories are all foggy from that day. My body’s probably rotting away someplace in America. So I guess that makes me officially dead,” said Kyo.

“This is all too much to take in,” said Die uneasily.

“He’s really delusional, but extremely dangerous. I barely escaped,” recounted Kyo.

“What do you mean?” asked Kaoru.

“This guy has been killing other people in his town using black magic. Then we rolled in and became his new target.”

“We?”

“He’s an accomplished dark arts practitioner from what I gather and he’s out for all of us. The entire band.”

*****

Shinya stared blankly at his ceiling. He was afraid to fall asleep tonight. The Cheburashka dolls in his room smiled at him. Sadly their empty smiles provided no comfort for him. He thought back to what happened two hours ago at his front door. Shinya had turned around to see blonde haired Kyo looking back at him. He was in a gray button up jacket and dark jeans, the same outfit Shinya had last seen him in one year ago.

    “Kyo,” said a startled Shinya. “What are you doing here?”

“I have no time to explain. There’s something unclean in your house. Someone is after you just like he was after me,” said Kyo. “Look for Kaoru and Die.”

His translucent body flickered and faded into nothingness. Shinya turned to his side in his bed. _What is going on? Is this house cursed? It never happened to me before._ After much thinking, he dozed off into a deep sleep.

    _Oh no. The girl is back._ She was in the same tattered white dress. Something about her was eerie as she looked at Shinya. The way she cocked her head to the side was at an unnatural angle. Shinya ran down a corridor. He opened doors upon doors to find more corridors. The girl would always be one step ahead. Today she was skipping lightly. Her feet seem to stay afloat from the ground. Her messy hair looked like angry black snakes.

“Stay away from me!” shouted Shinya.

His own running was slowing down. The girl’s footsteps were coming closer. _Tap. Tap. Tap._ The sounds had disappeared. The doors had also disappeared and the void was left with an unfamiliar brick road. There at the very end was a white clad girl waiting for Shinya.

    Shinya froze in his steps, but he drawing closer to the girl.   

“No. NO. STOP IT!” he shouted.

Shinya felt a tug at his sleeve. A heavily tattooed hand had gripped his arm pulling him away from the brick road. It was getting brighter and brighter as he ran. His legs wobbled like jelly unable to continue. He remembered at the very end of the dream that someone with a head full of blonde hair had pulled him away from the darkness.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What a turn of events we have reached ... thus far. We have bad dreams and a nasty spirit. What will be the new challenge for the band?


	5. The Apparition

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> BGM: Rinkaku by Dir en grey

_Buzz buzz. Buzz buzz._ Shinya’s eyes blinked open. The sun was peeking through the thick curtains of his room. The air was a bit stifling to begin with. Shinya took the phone off the nightstand. It was already close to noon. Someone was calling him.

“Kaoru?”

“Shinya, do you have time to meet up tonight?”

“I ... guess. What for?”

“There’s some important stuff I want to discuss in person.”

“Oh.”

“How are you doing?”

“I’m fine,” Shinya lied.

“Just checking to make sure.”

The truth was that Shinya wanted to tell someone about the disturbances. He was about to go nuts. Maybe he should confide in Kaoru as Kyo prescribed. _Look for Kaoru and Die. Do they know something about what’s wrong with me?_

    During the night, Shinya set out for the meeting. Kaoru left instructions for a local _izakaya_. The narrow stone streets had small signs lit up with establishment names. Some had blinking Christmas lights while some stuck with the traditional paper lantern look. The path was worn. Some stones were upheaved making the ground unlevel to walk on.

“Ah. This must be the one,” Shinya said to himself.

    A faded, wooden sign reading “Haiiro no Ginka” hung above the narrow glass door. Shinya slid the door open. In contrast to the dingy appearance on the outside, the inside looked fancier than he had anticipated. On the left were bar seats directly facing the compact kitchen. To the right were three tables lined against the wall separated by varnished wooden dividers. On the wall hung long, rectangular boards with menu items written in Japanese script. The open kitchen was cluttered with pots and pans. Shelves full of sake and shochu were placed high along the walls over the refrigerator.

    Kaoru was already seated with Die in the furthest table. Toshiya who sat across from them motioned Shinya to come over. Shinya removed his sunglasses and took the empty seat beside Toshiya. Toshiya had medium length curly, black hair up to his ears. He had a turtleneck under his button up collar shirt. Shinya can always expect bizarre fashion from the bassist. Die had his usual black leather jacket and Kaoru was in his military jacket. Tonight they were the only customers in the _izakaya_.

  “Now that we’re all here, we can start,” announced Kaoru.

Both Kaoru and Die related their stories to Shinya and Toshiya. Toshiya nodded and listened with interest occasionally raising an eyebrow. Shinya mustered up the courage to tell his story, a week full of nightmares and hallucinations.

“No wonder you look so bad,” noted Die. “I’m amazed Shin-chan hasn’t fallen apart yet.”

“Die, it’s not funny,” retorted Shinya. “You’re not the one plagued with nightmares.”

“Hey, I’m not calling you fragile or anything,” argued Die.

“Stop it, you two. We’re not here to bicker,” said Kaoru.

“How come I haven’t gotten anything?” said Toshiya.

“It’s ‘cause you’re happy all the time,” said Die.

“Well you’re the one with a cheesy grin plastered on his face 24/7,” said Toshiya.

    The conversation was interrupted by the server. She brought over plates of chicken and beef  skewers and tiny bowls of house pickles. Then she brought over a plate of grilled fish and grilled offal. The smell of charred meat wafted in the air. It was tantalizing.

    “Shinya we need to help you first,” said Kaoru. “What was it that Kyo said to you?”

“He said there was something unclean in my house,” said Shinya.

“Was there anything that you brought in recently into your house prior to your nightmares?”

“Not that I know of.”

“When you say unclean, it typically means a spirit of some sort. I read that it may be a cursed object or something that harbors a spirit. It latches onto something and gets transported from place to place.”

Shinya shuddered at the thought.

“Maybe it was something that someone gave to you without knowing,” suggested Toshiya. “They could have slipped it in your bag or planted it somewhere without your notice. After all Die didn’t know until he got attacked.”

    “Come to think of it, didn’t you notice some large, red monster wandering in your house?” asked Kaoru.

“I told you, I didn’t hear anything. All I felt was someone trying to choke me to death. Besides that thing turned into some lizard,” said Die.

“A newt,” corrected Kaoru.

“Whatever.”

“That newt could have crawled in through some small space,” said Toshiya. “Since we’re dealing with the supernatural, I wouldn’t be surprised if this thing can morph.”

“You are taking this surprisingly well, Toshiya,” commended Kaoru.

“I may be skeptical, but I think I’ll take my band mates’ confessions a little more seriously. I mean the three of you guys have seen Kyo. I feel left out,” laughed Toshiya.

“You’re lucky you’re left out,” said Shinya.

“Cheer up, Shin-chan. We’re gonna fix this,” said Die.

*****

 “It’s not much, but make yourself at home,” said Toshiya.

The band suggested that Shinya stay somewhere else other than at home until they resolve the mysterious spirit. Toshiya offered to let their drummer take residence in his apartment. Shinya peered into one of the rooms. It was a studio complete with a mannequin, sewing machine, and a work table covered in strips of fabric. The kitchen was connected to the living room separated by a simple granite counter. Shinya hung his coat and bag on the standing coat rack. The floors were covered in birch wood planks. The low sofa was in upholstered fabric that looked like canvas. The soft carpet under the glass coffee table was a sandy straw color. The walls were painted white and its ledges charcoal. 

    “You can stay in my room if you don’t mind. The other room is now a storage room,” Toshiya called out.

Toshiya had set up a futon next to his bed.

“I was gonna ask that I stay on the sofa. It’s quite alright,” Shinya said courteously.

“After all you’ve been through? You’re taking the bed tonight. You have a lot of sleep to catch up on,” said Toshiya as he continued to clear more space in his room.

Shinya was grateful. He had not been close to Toshiya, but his kindness had sincerely touched his heart. That night, Shinya slept peacefully.

*****

The four men stood outside Shinya’s apartment, At a glance, it looked like an ordinary Japanese apartment complex. Some shriveling flowers occupied the front lawn. Shinya pushed open the creaky gate. The ground was paved in mosaic stones. The grass was drying out upon closer inspection. When they entered the house, it was clear that something was wrong. The air was heavy with oppression. The once welcoming guest room was now sterile and ominous. Die immediately regret his comment from the previous night. It was not a home fit for living. He secretly commended Shinya for being able to put up with it for a week. Kaoru lifted up a plant leaf by the windowsill. It had dried out into a husk of its previous existence.

“Shinya, if you don’t mind, we’re gonna split up and search the house. Just to be clear, we are looking for objects that are out of the ordinary,” said Kaoru.

“Go right ahead,” said Shinya.

    Like CSI, they each slapped on rubber gloves. They searched every nook and cranny from the bathroom to the hidden storage rooms. Nothing was found. They had been searching since early noon. The sun was now dipping low into the horizon.

“You really like Cheburashka,” said Die playing with the monkey doll. “He’s everywhere.”

“He’s cute,” said Shinya.

“Maybe Cheburashka is cursed,” mocked Die.

Shinya frowned. Kaoru was deep in thought. If it wasn’t a cursed object, then what was it? He glanced at the dead plant by the windowsill. Suddenly he furrowed his brow.

“Shinya. Did you have anyone to do the gardening by any chance?” he asked.

“Why yes. What’s wrong?”

“Find me a shovel now!”

“What is it Kaoru?”

“I think I know where our cursed object is!”

    Shinya stood up to go to his storage room. He furiously twisted the doorknob.

“It’s not opening. This thing doesn’t have a lock,” Shinya noted.

“Maybe we can ask the neighbors for one,” said Die.

He opened the front door, but the door immediately slammed shut by itself. Dir turned and pulled the knob, but the door wouldn’t budge. All the doors in the apartment began to slam loudly on its own. The shades shuttered and the cabinet doors rattled.

“Look out!” screamed Kaoru.

    Some pens floated above the ground with the sharp ends pointing at  Shinya. As if thrown by an invisible hand, the pens shot through the air. Toshiya threw himself upon Shinya. Their bodies collided with the floor with a loud thunk. The pens missed Shinya and embedded firmly into the walls. An ear splitting shatter of glass then rang through the room. The shiny pieces rained onto Kaoru and Die who were closest to the windows. Both guitarists shielded themselves with their arms and crouched to the floor. They all held their breath. The doors that were previously locked swung open. No one dared to move from their position.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not much has happened in this chapter, but it looks like we have some action planned. What do you think is going to happen next? Who or what is this so called apparition?


	6. Merciless

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> BGM: 残 -ZAN- by Dir en grey

Each member breathed in unison anticipating the next antic. The apartment was silent except for the slight breeze rustling the curtains. Kaoru motioned with his index finger to tell Die to come closer. The red haired guitarist carefully avoided the sharp glass and crawled away from the door. He looked at Toshiya and Shinya who were now cowering near the storage room. Toshiya jabbed in the air at the door and made a twisting motion to Kaoru. Kaoru put a finger to his lips and nodded. Shinya scanned the perimeter and slowly rose to his feet. He twisted the knob with a subtle click. It was no longer locked.

    “Ahh!” he screamed.

Shinya slipped and fell to the ground. He slammed the door close.

“What’s wrong Shinya!” Toshiya asked briskly.

“S-snakes,” whimpered the drummer.

Toshiya flung open the door. He saw boxes piled high with labels. The floor was covered with long black cables. The shovel was behind some wooden planks.

“What snake? Shinya there are no snakes,” said Toshiya.

“I hear them. They’re hissing,” insisted Shinya.

“What are you talking about? I see nothing,” said Toshiya forgetting to keep his voice down.

Toshiya yanked the shovel out and shut the door. As soon as he shut, he saw the girl in tatters standing right beside him. Toshiya let out a yelp and dropped the shovel. Kaoru and Die flinched in surprise at the spirit’s presence.

    Shinya slid away from the shovel. His face was pale and his breathing was in a erratic pattern.

“Shinya, get the shovel!” screamed Kaoru.

“N-no. There’s a snake,” shivered Shinya.

He pointed at the immobile shovel. Toshiya made a lunge for the shovel only to have it slide away by itself. Die darted to the shovel. His fingers barely touched the handle when he felt himself pounded onto the wall. His body was now glued to the wall.

    “Ugh! Why is it always me getting slammed!”

Die struggled to peel himself from the wall. It was as if someone had hung him like a painting. Kaoru tried ripping Die’s arm off the surface, but it was no good. A coffee table levitated off the ground and flew in Kaoru and Die’s direction.

“No, no, NO!” screamed Die frantically.

    A fist went through the little girl’s body. Toshiya’s hand could feel the icy crawl when he touched the mist. The spirit gave a crooked smile before sending her victim flying to the ceiling. _BANG!_ His body thumped hard and fell to the ground. Toshiya hit his head and the throbbing pain spread quickly.

    Shinya clutched his chest tightly. His heart was beating intensely. The room had turned abnormally cold since they had entered. Shinya could see the mist of his own mad breathing. In front of him was a constrictor boa slithering in its glory. Further away was Toshiya unconscious on the ground. On the wall, a table trapped Die and Kaoru. Struggling, Kaoru tried to squeeze from under the table’s pressure. It hurled at him when he was shielding Die. The wooden table continued to crush the two under its unnatural force.

    “Shinya, get salt! Spirits are afraid of salt!”

Kaoru’s voice broke Shinya from his frozen state. _That’s right. My band mates are in trouble._ He dashed into the kitchen and grabbed the salt dispenser. His fingers dove deeply into the canister for a dash of salt. He could feel the crystals wedge under his fingernails. The girl in white appeared in front of him again. Shinya threw the salt and the image of her dissipated like steam off a kettle. He heard a loud bang coming from the living room. The table plunked to the ground releasing Die and Kaoru from the wall. Kaoru rubbed his sore back. Toshiya woke up from his brief sleep and massaged the back of his head. The band members regrouped in the center of the room where the coffee table use to be.

    “Make a salt circle!” ordered Kaoru.

“Huh?” said a puzzled Shinya.

“Gimme the salt.”

Kaoru huddled everyone together and vigorously poured the salt around them. Before stepping into the protective ring, he grabbed the shovel and handed the salt back to Shinya.

    “I don’t think it’s a mere object we’re dealing with. Shinya, your house plant is dead like the garden outside. Only if something is raised would cause life around it to cease. Or in some instances, something extremely negative in energy,” explained Kaoru.

“Get to the point! I don’t want to stay here!” said Die.

“I think it’s buried outside. That’s probably why we couldn’t find it. We need to dig it up and burn whatever it is,” said Kaoru.

“How long does this salt circle hold?” asked Toshiya.

“As long as it doesn’t break and we stay inside, we are safe. Salt can repel spirits, but it can’t last forever,” said Kaoru.

“So what do we do now?” asked Shinya.

     All eyes looked desperately to Kaoru for guidance.

“Okay. Everyone get a handful of salt for protection. I need someone to grab matches and some alcohol. Preferably strong. We need to dig this crap out together.”

“I got vodka in the fridge and matches are in the kitchen cabinets,” said Shinya. “But that snake.”

“What snake? I see no snake,” said Die.

“Neither do I,” said Toshiya.

“Whatever it is, it’s probably an illusion to throw you off,” assured Kaoru.

“I can’t do this! It’s right there looking at me by the kitchen!” cried Shinya. “None of you guys can see it?”

“Calm down Shinya!” shouted Kaoru.

    A gust of wind from the broken window blew the salt ring away. The spirit appeared in front of them again. This time her tattered white dress was covered in streaks of wet blood. Her bleeding eyes were yellow with jaundice and her hair was messy like the disarray of emotions in the house.

“Go!” shouted Kaoru.

He didn’t even bother for the door. Kaoru darted to the window and climbed over the ledge. _Thank goodness it was only the first floor._ The sharp glass cut into his palm, but Kaoru ignored it in this moment. Toshiya made a dash to the kitchen. He ripped open the refrigerator door. There on the side was a skull shaped bottle of Crystal Head vodka. He grabbed the drink and slammed it the counter. Die opened all the cabinet doors. The small box of matches was nowhere in sight.

“Shinya, where are your matches!” Die cried in desperation.

“Die, watch out!” shouted Toshiya.

    A glittering kitchen was in the hands of Shinya ready to hack at Die. Shinya drove the knife to Die’s face. It hit the kitchen sink with a resounding clang instead. Toshiya restrained Shinya by pulling him back.

“Shinya, stop it! What are you doing!”

Shinya head butted Toshiya in the nose. The red blood dripped on to the kitchen tiles. Shinya charged at Die and randomly swung the knife. Die could only dodge the intimidating blade. He grabbed the hanging spatula and fenced with it. In a matter of seconds, the handle was lopped off. Distraught, he searched for more items and sacrificed the soup ladle, wooden chopsticks, and a frying pan.

    “Stop it Shinya! It’s me, Die!” cried out Die. “Is he possessed!”

Toshiya threw salt on to his friend. (‘That’s what you do with holy water!’ Die shouted.) Shinya was unfazed by it. The bassist grabbed Shinya by the shoulder. Shinya threw a fist into Toshiya’s face. Toshiya screamed in pain.

“Aah! Not my beautiful face!”

Shinya continued to attack Die. By chance, the blade nicked a bit of skin on Die’s cheek.

“Not my face too!”

    The slashing continued. The metallic blade screamed as it scratched the frying pan.

“Found it!” Toshiya announced triumphantly with a box of matches in his hand.

He tucked the vodka under his arm and thrust the matches in his pocket. Shinya was hell bent on destroying Die. He heeded no attention to Toshiya.

“Go Toshiya! I’ll be fine!” said Die.

Toshiya rushed out the kitchen and looked behind. Die’s jacket was ripped from Shinya’s lucky strikes. He was an animal ready to ravage Die’s innards. Die was holding back afraid to injure the drummer. He was hoping Toshiya would make it out of the house in time.

    Toshiya pulled the front door open. It surprisingly swung open easily. The spirit was waiting for him on the steps. Toshiya instantly threw the remaining salty grits he had at the evil spirit. She vaporized at the touch. He made his way down the staircase and she was waiting for him again. The girl flew past Toshiya. The icy chill traveled through  his body and left an unpleasant shock. It was like having his heart plucked out of its crevice and dunked in cold water. Toshiya felt himself thrown against the side of the building forcefully. The skull shaped body rolled out of his hands and onto the stone pavement.

    “Damn you!” the gruff voice of Kaoru called out.

He waved the shovel to dispel the spirit. The girl drifted away and disappeared.

“Kaoru! Shinya’s going crazy inside like he’s possessed!” Toshiya cried out. “Die’s holding him back, but I don’t think he can go on any longer.”

“C’mon! Let’s burn this thing before I lose a guitarist!”

The dirt was strewn against the lawn. The old plants had been torn out of their roots. Toshiya picked up the fallen skull shaped bottle and handed it to Kaoru. The guitarist made a face of disdain.

“You’ve got to be kidding me.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What do you think made Kaoru say that last comment? Any ideas what's buried outside? What would you have done?


	7. Darkness, Doubt, and Human Nature

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> BGM: Toguro by Dir en grey

Toshiya peered into the hole that Kaoru dug through. An ancient skull was peeking through the dirt. The rest of the yellow bones were still underground.

“My word. Someone chucked the entire skeleton in here,” said Toshiya disgusted.

“We gotta dig the whole damn thing out,” said Kaoru.

He abandoned his shovel and pulled the skull from the dirt. Toshiya also began digging with his hands. The cold dirt was hard and chunky with pebbles. Luckily the bones were buried together making it easy to recover. The lost bones were now tossed in a pile on the stone pavement. Kaoru sloshed the alcohol over the remains. He lit a match and dropped it into the pyre.

    The image of the girl appeared again except her face was contorted with anguish. The match was swatted away before reaching the bones. Frustrated, Kaoru lit another one and the flame was blown out by the wind. The spirit refused to rest as she continued to disrupt the lighting ceremony. When her hands contacted the final lighting stick, a handful of salt scattered from Kaoru’s hands. She let out an earsplitting shriek before bursting into flames. Her howling voice echoed and disappeared forever. The weight upon Kaoru and Toshiya’s chest was lifted as they watched the bones burn. The previously ominous air inside the house was gone. However, their short lived triumph was interrupted by Die’s scream.

    Kaoru and Toshiya looked through the broken window to see Shinya holding a knife with blood on it. When Shinya turned to face his fellow band men, they were shocked to see a pair of bleeding eyes looking back at them. The same eyes were then locked on Die, who grasped his bleeding left arm cornered in the room.

“Why isn’t it working? The girl’s spirit is gone!” exclaimed Toshiya.

“Something else is still here and it’s controlling Shinya,” surmised Kaoru. “We gotta restrain him first.”

    The tall bassist was first to enter the house with a quick stride. Shinya turned to face Toshiya with the knife. Die took the opportunity to grab Shinya by the hand. The kitchen blade was firmly rooted in his hands as if it was a part of his body. Shinya let out a growl in an attempt to cut Die. Toshiya grabbed Shinya’s other arm. The tug-o-war between the three resulted in a tumble to the ground.

    With the kitchen blade still in hand, Shinya approached the fallen duo.

“Shinya, can you hear me?” asked Die. “Whatever it is that you see is not real. This is Die talking to you!”

Toshiya looked at Die. His left arm was bleeding profusely leaving streaks of blood all over the floor. The color on his face was depleted leaving behind pale skin. Shinya’s eyes remain fixated on Die like a predator.

“Die is there something on you that’s triggering him?” Shinya only seems to focus on you,” remarked Toshiya.

“I-I don’t know,” stammered Die.

Toshiya looked around for helpful items. He saw the overturned table that had trapped Die previously. Die also looked at the table. Together they gave each other a nod.

    Pacing back and forth outside, Kaoru was distressed. The bones were already burned and the spirit had left the house. Yet something was still attached to Shinya causing the anomalies. Kaoru dug through the dirt again. Maybe something was missed. His fingernails trapped soil as he raked through it. He could hear Toshiya and Die confronting Shinya. Kaoru desperately sifted through the soil. There was absolutely nothing. He pounded the ground in exasperation. _What the hell is still missing?_ He sifted through his own memories. _Shinya mentioned his hallucinations and bad dreams. We all thought it was the spirit that caused it because the bones cursed the house. Shinya now acts out of his control like he’s under a spell. A spell? Wait a second, what if someone placed a curse on him? Like a ritual. Damn it! I don’t have time to do research!_

    Growling lowly, Shinya charged at Die. Toshiya and Die readied the table in their hands and used it like a shield. It was bulky, but withstood against Shinya’s knife attacks. They both rammed the table at Shinya with all their might. The knife fell to the floor and was kicked away. Shinya was pinned to the ground with a table and two men.

“I’m sorry, Shinya,” said Toshiya.

Shinya’s eyes were crusty with dried blood, but his nose was now spurting with fresh blood. He retaliated strongly against the pressure even as more blood continued to flow. Die winced at the pain of his own arm. His lips were turning white like his face.

“Damn it, where is Kaoru,” Die muttered weakly.

    In the garden, Kaoru was ready to rush in and knock Shinya unconscious. He gripped the shovel tightly until his knuckles turned white. A voice then called out.

“Kaoru, no!”

Kaoru loosened his grip and looked for the voice. Kyo was standing right beside him.

“Where were you all this time!” said a flustered Kaoru.

“He waved his shovel instinctively through Kyo’s body, shattering the image. _Damn it. Iron repels spirits too._ Kyo’s image quickly came back.

“I couldn’t enter the house because the other spirit kept me out.”

“Do you know what’s controlling Shinya? He’s going berserk.”

Kyo’s image was now flickering and growing translucent by the moment.

“Wait, don’t go!”

“The potted plant,” said Kyo before he disappeared again.

Kaoru eyed the dead plant by the windowsill. He grabbed the clay pot and smashed it to the ground. The pottery shards flew and hit the walls of the apartment complex.

    Sure enough, there was a small curious cloth bag beneath the roots of the plant. Inside was some hair, bits of small bones, dried herbs, and a menagerie of unidentifiable objects to the inexperienced eye. Kaoru lit the remaining match and burned the small bag. The contents smoked and emitted an unpleasant smell, something akin to choking incense and decaying things. The house was quiet inside. He rushed inside to see. Kaoru had briefly forgotten about the other Dir en grey members. He saw that Shinya was still pinned to the ground by Die and Toshiya.

    “It’s ok guys! He should be fine now,” said Kaoru.

They removed the table and propped Shinya against the sofa. His long strawberry blonde hair was a mess. Shinya’s bloodshot eyes blinked open.

“Die, I’m so sorry! I-I couldn’t control myself as I watched myself cut you!” said Shinya.

Die gave a weak smile and then dropped to the ground.

“Die!” all three of them cried out.

“Shit! He’s bled too much. Call an ambulance!” said Toshiya.

Toshiya ripped off the sleeves of his shirt using the glass shards on the floor. He tightly bandaged Die’s arm and cradled his head on his lap.

“C’mon Die. Don’t leave us, man,” Toshiya repeated.

    Wailing sirens and flashing lights surrounded the apartment complex. Die was wheeled off on a stretcher. Shinya admitted to the police for his violent outlash before setting off for the hospital. Kaoru and Toshiya stayed behind to give their full accounts, omitting some of the ghostly details.

“So you’re telling me that you suspected a ghost had been haunting this place leading you to discover the remains of a skeleton?”

“That’s right, Officer,” said Kaoru.

“It doesn’t surprise me to hear that,” said the officer.

“Why do you say?”

“The previous tenants of this apartment complex had also reported a haunting some weeks ago before they moved out.”

    Kaoru wanted to proceed with more questions, but a sudden pain above the abdomen pierced him.

“Kaoru? What’s wrong?” asked Toshiya.

Kaoru had ignored it all this time, but the shooting pain was now more than just a bruise. He touched the bottom right area above the stomach and screwed his face in agony.

“I think you should take him to the hospital for a scan,” suggested the officer. “You are dismissed.”

Toshiya slowly walked Kaoru to an available ambulance.

“You’re lucky you only got that,” said Kaoru pointing at Toshiya’s bloodied nose.

Toshiya wrinkled his face and gave a crooked smile. Guiding the way, Kaoru hobbled on to the vehicle.

*****

 

“It appears that your lower rib has been fractured from impact. At most one month, nothing too serious,” said the doctor as he pointed to the X-ray.

The pain rhythmically pricked his sides as Kaoru breathed. With a psychotic sorcerer after the band, now wasn’t a good time to be bedridden.

“Toshiya, let’s check out the other guys,” said Kaoru.

The two paced themselves to a private hospital room. Die was lying on the bed with an IV drip attached to his arm. The injured arm was properly bandaged and the wound on his cheek was taped with a patch. Shinya sat by the bedside also with an IV drip. The dark circles under his eyes were more apparent under the bright light.

    They greeted each other with slight nods. Toshiya drew up a chair for Kaoru to sit in. Even the slightest movement hurt his ribs. Toshiya stood with crossed arms.

“The police came and took our statements. I told them everything. Almost everything. Thanks to Die, the charges were dropped,” said Shinya.

“You weren’t being yourself, Shin-chan,” said Die quietly.

“It was ... weird. The urge to stop was strong, but my body wouldn’t respond,” said Shinya.

“It was a hex bag,” said Kaoru. “Witches like to use them for cursing, healing, or protecting. It was buried in the potted plant.”

“The potted plant? Come to think of it, the pot was left behind by the gardeners that came about a week ago.”

“Those were some shady gardeners that you employed.”

“The police said they are looking into it as well as analyzing the identity of the bones.”

    A nurse entered the room to check on Die’s blood transfer. The blood bag was nearly empty. She waited and prepared a second bag. Die’s pale face had a bit of pink restored.

“Never underestimate an angry Shinya,” smirked Die.

“Look what he did to me,” said Toshiya pointing to his face.

A purple bruise had formed on the cheek and the lower lip.

“You’re also partially responsible for this,” said Kaoru pointing at his ribs.

“I’ll treat you guys to dinner next time,” promised Shinya.

    “Why did you keep attacking me?” asked Die. “I’m the victim of your abuse.”

“It’s that darn tattoo of yours,” said Shinya.

Die looked at the scaly black and red tattoo on his right hand.

“This?”

“You know how much I hate snakes. Even though I knew it was you, all I saw was a giant snake looking back at me.”

“I’m sorry my interests offend you,” Die smiled slyly.

“The stuff that happened today,” began Kaoru. “Was not only meant to kill Shinya, but all of us. That hex bag will eventually kill Shinya if it hadn’t been burned, but that ghost we were dealing with was meant for us.”

    Silence enveloped the room.

“This guy had a trap laid out for all of us,” said Toshiya. “He knew we were going to Shinya’s apartment. How did you know the hex bag was in the plant?”

“Kyo told me,” stated Kaoru.

“You saw Kyo?” the rest responded.

Kaoru explained the course of events.

“How come I never see him?” complained Toshiya. “All of you guys got a look.”

“You think he can hear us?” said Die.

“Maybe,” said Kaoru.

Hoping that their blonde vocalist would appear, they were all silent. However there was no answer.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was not kind to my characters in the last two chapters. Do you think they can pull through their future trials? Leave your thoughts on it.


	8. Questions and No Answers

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> BGM: Gaika, Chinmoku Ga Nemuru Koro by Dir en grey

“You’re treating us today,” said Die.

He took the outermost seat of the table in the _izakaya_. The smells of sizzling meat drifted to the tables. Today’s special was the grilled pork set complete with a miso soup, your choice of stir fried greens and a bowl of fluffy rice. Toshiya wolfed down his enormous bowl of ramen. Kaoru sipped his glass of oolong tea. His ribs were healing slowly, but even a sudden movement like a swallow could provoke some pain. Die was already on his second bottle of Asahi. The waitress set before them a long plate of tempura selections, grilled onigri, the dinner specials, and a bowl of blanched edamame.

“Even for a small place, I didn’t expect them to have so many menu items,” said Die as he scarfed on an onigiri.

“You don’t always have to go fancy for good food,” said Toshiya. “Where did you find this place?”

“I stumbled upon it one time. It’s a shame not a lot of people know about it. But then again, I’m glad it’s relatively unknown so that we can hold more discreet meetings here,” said Kaoru taking a swig of his tea.

    “I heard that they couldn’t identify the bones,” said Toshiya.

“They checked the missing persons database and there was no match. What’s surprising is that it belonged to some foreigner who died fifty years ago,” said Shinya.

“What about the gardeners? Any info on them?” asked Toshiya.

“What’s even weirder is that the company doesn’t even exist,” said Shinya.

They all looked at Shinya dumbfounded.

“What do you mean ‘doesn’t even exist’?” inquired Die.

“As in no such company, no such building, and no such employees,” sighed Shinya.

“Talk about shady,” said Die.

    _“We interrupt this broadcast with breaking news. Two weeks ago, an American passenger successfully evaded customs police at Narita Airport. The suspect has been identified as Stephen Mavros who is currently on the FBI’s wanted list for murder. The Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department are on the crackdown for this dangerous individual. Citizens are urged to report any suspicious persons ...”_

A picture of a gaunt man with dark eyes appeared on the screen.

“Great. We got a serial killer on the loose,” said Die. He looked closer at the image. “That’s the same guy I saw on TV weeks ago when I got attacked.”

    “We got more to worry about on our hands,” said Kaoru. “At least we know the serial killer’s face. We don’t know who’s attacking _us_.”

“Kyo seems to know, right?” Toshiya chimed in.

“He told Die and I that he’s a sorcerer of some sort. The kind that meddle in black magic,” said Kaoru.

“The creepy kind,” Die butted in.

“Yeah,” agreed Kaoru. “Kyo also mentioned that his face was always obscured so there is no way of identifying him. He’s been trying to locate him, but our enemy seems to have ways of blocking out connections.”

“Basically no GPS tracking on the ghost radar,” said Die.

“ _Spirits_. Not ghosts,” corrected Kaoru.

“What else did Kyo say?” asked Shinya.

“Kyo said that a small portion of his soul is still attached to his flesh body so he can’t move on, but neither is he able to return to his body,” Kaoru said gravely.

    “So he’s just wandering the earth,” said Toshiya sadly.

The four men each looked down at their plates. Only the puffing smoke from the steamer and the sounds of the hissing pot filled the restaurant.

“Kyo’s been a great help to us. He may not be able to appear whenever he wants to, but I’m sure he’s watching over us,” said Kaoru. “To Kyo.”

They all raised their glasses.

    “How did he manage to get here? In Japan I mean,” asked Toshiya.

“Spirits for the most part can only venture as far as the places they’ve been to when they’ve been alive. They can also attach themselves to objects or people and travel,” explained Kaoru. “I think Kyo probably did the same.”

“There’s one thing I still don’t get. Why is this all happening now?” said Die. “Why is he appearing to us one year later instead of one year ago?”

“He never did quite explain that to us. I suspect that even he doesn’t know. Sometimes spirits don’t quite remember how they ended up that way,” said Kaoru.

“If he didn’t disappear so quickly, he could have told us. I have dozens of questions to ask,” said Die.

    “Which one of us is next?” asked Shinya.

The million dollar question was released.

“I don’t see any pattern of attack. His methods of killing us is restricted to sorcery of both Eastern and Western tradition,” analyzed Kaoru.

“He sounds like an evil Neo-pagan,” said Die.

“A what?” said Toshiya and Shinya.

“You know, like those antagonists on paranormal TV dramas. I read it on Wikipedia,” said Die.

“I think we sould all start reading up on the occult,” said Kaoru. “Starting with Wikipedia.”

“You seem to be quite knowledgable in this area,” Die pressed on. “Like the salt ring.”

“I only know that because I’m Catholic,” said Kaoru frowning. “Holy water sometimes contains salt.”

“Shin-chan reads all the time. I don’t see you knowing a lot,” said Die.

“I read mystery novels, stupid,” said Shinya.

    The plates of food were picked clean by the ravenous men. They shuffled out the izakaya. A waxing crescent hung in the dark sky. They each bid each other farewell and departed separate ways. Kaoru walked the lonely road home. The overhead light flickered and crackled. He turned to see Kyo walking beside him.

“Kyo,” greeted Kaoru.

Kyo’s footsteps made no sound as he walked. His semi-translucent body drifted with the scenery. Tonight he had on a dark coat, skinny jeans, and pointy boots.

“How are your abilities coming along?”

“I’ve been practicing. They’re getting stronger,” Kyo said.

He continued to look straight ahead ignoring Kaoru.

“Your appearance is lasting longer,” said Kaoru.

“That’s because only you can see me,” said Kyo.

Kaory looked confused at Kyo.

“You have a gift. Your ability to see spirits is stronger.”

“Then what about the others?”

“They only see me because I materialized. For that to happen, I need to draw upon energy like electricity or a really strong will. After all, we are just spheres of energy.”

“So that’s what happened,” chuckled Kaoru. “Toshiya wanted to see you really badly. Looks like his will wasn’t strong enough.”

“I can feel that you are safe for the time being, but keep an eye out on them for me. I’ll do my best of course,” said Kyo. “You are our core.”

“Thanks Kyo.”

“It’s nothin’.”

Kyo vanished leaving Kaoru alone at his door.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A much shorter chapter this time. Up to this point, do you have a favorite character? Remember that these are only fictional representations of your favorite band.


	9. The Deed Has Been Done

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> BGM: The Deeper Vileness by Dir en grey

Fallen on the streets were red and orange leaves. The blanket of colors had covered the city in a late autumn wonderland. Store fronts were loaded with specials for students leaving school to pick up. The housewives were on their daily mission for grocery shopping. Toshiya strolled to the office wearing round shades and a wide brimmed hat. His red flannel shirt peeked under the heavy coat and his dark pants were tucked into his lace up boots. The towering bassist earned some stares and glances as he maneuvered through the crowd of students.

    When Toshiya reached the office, he saw that some fans were hiding in the corner of the building. They screamed his name and sprinted to the door. The blue uniformed security guard blocked off the entrance as Toshiya briskly evaded the fans. He gave a toothy grin and a wave before entering the building. Toshiya hiked up some stairs and cruised through the bare hallways.

    Most of the rooms were deserted or locked. Toshiya dug through his coat pocket and produced a lone key. The office door opened with ease. It was a tad stifling and dusty. The small room had been abandoned for several months. He rummaged through the file cabinets and dumped some cardboard boxes on the available round table.

    This room was normally used for the band meetings for minor discussions. If not it served as a spare storage room. To be honest, no one really liked this room since it always meant bringing up problems. Toshiya was looking for a particular book the designers had consulted for inspiration.

“Aha!” he exclaimed upon finding it.

The Ultimate Encyclopaedia of the Dark Arts. Bound in leather, the thick volume reeked of ghastly nightmares and frightening occurrences. Sandwiched between the pages were notes and print outs made by Kyo. He had an affinity for the occult material.

    In the boxes, Toshiya found some books on esoteric Buddhism. He flipped through one of them. The pages were filled with colorful Buddhist cave paintings. Another was dedicated to Buddhist symbols and bonji, the Sanskrit script that Kyo had used multiple times in his performances.

    Bagging the books, Toshiya locked the office and turned to leave only to have their manager, Inoue, waiting for him.

“I didn’t expect to see you here,” said Inoue.

“I needed to grab a few items from storage,” Toshiya said quickly.

“I heard that some shit went down with Die and Shinya’s apartment. You guys alright?”

“Yeah. Yeah. We’re fine,” Toshiya lied through his teeth.

“What were you looking for?”

“Books. I need them for ideas.”

“Oh. Be careful. The tabloids are trying to catch wind of this.”

“Yeah. No more crazy shit.”

“You have a lot of fan mail downstairs. Be sure to clean it out.” 

    Sure enough, Toshiya’s locker for mail was stuffed with love letters and gifts to the point of exploding. Kaoru and Shinya’s looked fair normal. Kyo’s was also getting compact and gathering dust. Die’s was so jam packed with letters that it could rival Toshiya’s. Toshiya emptied the contents into his spare bag. The weight on his shoulders had increased tremendously. It made him wonder if is fans had left him a ton of lead as a gift.

*****

“Ok. Here’s what I got.”

The books were spread on the _kotatsu_.

“Why must we all meet at my apartment?” asked a miffed Kaoru.

“Because your apartment feels safer,” Die replied.

His eyes wandered to the statuette of Saint Mary in the cupboard and the rosary beads on one of the CD shelves. Shinya looked through his bag and passed out some _omamori_ charms.

“They’re blessed. I got them at the shrine near my apartment,” said Shinya.

“I have these crystals,” said Die taking out several beaded bracelets. “I read that they can ward off negative energy.”

“Not you too,” sighted Kaoru. He slapped a palm on his forehead. “This isn’t some exchange party.”

“Kaoru. We’re all pretty freaked out,” said Toshiya. “Our obituaries would have been printed last week if we hadn’t destroyed the skeleton and hex bag.”

    The unshakable feeling of fear was instilled in all of them.

“I’ll go make tea,” said Kaoru.

Toshiya took a _senbei_ cracker from the snack plate and tore open the clear packaging. It crinkled loudly as he crumpled the package in his hand.

“I think we should look through these,” said Toshiya muffled with the cracker in his mouth. “Maybe they have stuff on protection so we can at least stop getting hurt all the time.”

“The Ultimate Encyclopaedia of the Dark Arts. Tell me why do we have such an evil book in our office?” said Die.

    Hot barley tea was served in porcelain cups to all the members. They flipped through the books and made notes when necessary. Kaoru scribbled on a spare sheet of lined paper. _Kyo, Die, and Shinya have already become victims of attack. Based on what happened so far, the sorcerer doesn’t attempt to attack the same person again despite failing each time, which leaves Toshiya and I left as the next possible targets. But as it occurred with Shinya, he is also attempting to get rid of all of us at once._

    Kaoru rubbed the temples of his head. It was all too frustrating. It was impossible to predict the next attack. All they could do was wait helplessly. Kaoru stole a few looks at his band members. Die was already bored of reading. He was never the type to read in the first place. They were all musicians to begin with, not scholars. Maybe Toshiya was right after all. It was more sensible to protect themselves than to hunt down a killer.

    “You know, maybe we’re all going in the wrong direction,” Toshiya began. “Instead of waiting for that guy to attack us, maybe we should do the attacking.”

“Did you forget that we have absolutely no idea who or where this guy is?” scoffed Die. “Or even why?”

“I’m not saying that we should be the ones looking for him. We should be the ones luring him to us,” said Toshiya.

“Do you want to go through THAT again!” Die said angrily.

“Staying cooped up doing research isn’t going to get rid of him! He’s plotting to kill us right now!” argued Toshiya. “He can locate us easily whenever he wants to. I didn’t expect you out of all people to cower away.”

Die shot him a glare.

“I like to see you try killing him. You’re not the one being choked to death or being controlled. What do you know about capturing him!”

“Just because I didn’t go through it doesn’t make me less of a victim!”

“Both of you shut up!” roared Kaoru.

    The heated atmosphere didn’t dispel after Kaoru’s response. Die was the angry tiger protective of his own pride and Toshiya was the serpent shooting Die with venomous looks. Rarely did the both of them act impulsively on their emotions, but today was an exception. Two riled beasts were ready to tear at each other’s throats. It was only when Shinya calmly raised his hand.

    “Let’s not start this. We’re all trying to help,” the drummer said calmly. “Police are working on their end and we are doing what we can on ours.”

“What CAN we do on our end?” hissed Die.

He slapped the heavy volume on the table. 

    “We can arm ourselves,” said Shinya. “Like Toshiya said, it’s time that we take the offensive stance. It’s a given that no one else is going to help us. We have to fend for ourselves. Look at what happened during our previous overseas tours. The venue wasn’t convenient. The equipment was faulty. We needed a translator. Things didn’t run smoothly during our performances. In the end, we all managed to complete the show because we had to do things ourselves. We’re Dir en grey, guys. We never let others do our job.”

    They were all stunned by Shinya’s wise words. It was if they received a reminder of something long forgotten.

“Kaoru, shouldn’t you be the one saying it?” said Shinya. “You’re the level headed one.”

“You’re right on this one, I should be the one giving the speech. We are Dir en grey. There’s no one that can replace us. Not even some stupid sorcerer who thinks he can mess with us. I’m getting fucking pissed just thinking about him. What a coward for hiding in the shadows and preying on us,” commented Kaoru.

    “And messing with our heads,” added Die. “Thinking he can pick us off one by one.”

“Ain’t gonna fucking happen. Nuh-uh,” said Toshiya. “We’re sticking together.”

Shinya silently nodded. The band was slowly regrouping.

“What we need now is a plan,” said Kaoru. “We need to trap the sorcerer first, before we can attack.”

“Do you think we can bait him?” asked Toshiya.

“Do you volunteer as bait?” joked Die.

    “Before we trap him, we still gotta take a few precautions. I suggest a crash course in spiritual protection which is most likely somewhere located in these books,” said Kaoru as he pointed at the mess of books.

“I don’t think I can face these things anymore,” Die whined. “I’d rather face a row of vodka shots.”

“Yeah and the next thing you know, you’re walking into telephone poles,” Toshiya chided. “Speaking of which, I am leaving for a drink with my friends.”

“Don’t get poisoned,” chaffed Die. 

*****

 Five men sat in a secluded area blocked off by bead dividers. Two tubs of Heineken in ice was placed on the polished table. Loud club music blared in the background.

“So then after that, he came crashing down!”

A series of laughter erupted. Toshiya brought one of the green bottles to his lips.

“Hey Toshi, what’s with you tonight?”

“Huh? Nothing,” Toshiya replied.

“You usually laugh at this stuff. Has something happened recently?”

“I heard that some crazy stuff happened with the band you were in. You guys alright?”

“We’re fine, thanks. It’s just been a really tiring week. You know, with tabloids trying to get the wind of it,” Toshiya lied.

    A waitress came bearing a tray of mixed drinks. She placed the drinks on the table and left promptly. The guys each grabbed their drink.

“Cheers!”

They hooted and clinked their glasses merrily. Toshiya gave a grin and swirled the drink in his glass before downing it. The night continued with more boasting and drinking.

    Toshiya’s vision was getting hazy as he rose from his seat. His legs were wobbling like jelly on a plate. The laughing and the music in the background was ringing in his ear. His stomach lurched with an upsetting sickness. The restroom was just down the hallway, but the path appeared so long. Toshiya regretted drinking so much. This was more of Die’s line of work.

    As he swayed in the hall, Toshiya bumped into a figure.

“Sorry,” he drawled.

“No need to be. The deed has been done,” said the man.

What strange words to impart upon a customer. Toshiya could make out the black clothes the man was dressed in. It was one of the bartenders. He smelled a bit of camphor as the man walked by along with some other curious smells. It made no matter to Toshiya as he felt ready to hurl on the floor if he couldn’t make it the restroom in time.

    The door swung open and Toshiya burst into one of the stalls. The sickening contents were purged into the toilet bowl. _Excessive drinking must never be done again. The consequences are too much._ After a little while, the stomach settled down. Toshiya went to sink and sloshed his face with water. The familiar knotting in the stomach began again. Only this time, it felt excruciatingly nauseous as if something was crawling up his throat. _Here we go again._

*****

 Die fiddled with his phone. He regret his outburst with Toshiya.

“Hey man. Sorry about earlier,” he texted and plopped the phone down.

He went back to his room to retrieve his Macbook. Reluctantly, Die continued with his research while blasting Tool on his home stereo sound system. The short jingle played on the phone. Perhaps Toshiya had forgiven Die’s earlier lashing. To his horror, it left an unsettling text.

_HELP_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It was a difficult chapter to write as it was during my writer's block. I can't say I'm entirely pleased how it turned out with a sudden break in character for Die and Toshiya. I want to know what you guys think. Was it too out of place? Leave your comments below.


	10. The Deeper Vileness

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> BGM: Repetition of Hatred by Dir en grey

“What happened!” Kaoru asked worried.

“I got text from Toshiya calling for help and went to the club he was at. The staff said he was found unconscious in the restroom next to a puddle of blood and rushed him into the emergency room,” said Die briskly. “The doctors thought he had a severe case of alcohol poisoning, but they also found other toxins in his bloodstream.”

“So how is he doing right now?” continued Kaoru.

“He’s still unconscious,” replied Die.

Kaoru slammed his fist on the hospital wall.

“What the hell is going on! He was fine a few hours ago when we just met!” Kaoru shouted in anger.

Behind the glass, Toshiya slept with a monitor and IV drip attached to his arm. His chest heaved up and down slowly as he breathed through the oxygen mask. His face was in a sickly shade of grayish green.

“I talked to one of his friends who was at the scene. He said he saw something unnatural,” said Die uncomfortably.

“Unnatural?” asked Kaoru. His gut was releasing the same feeling he got when Kyo first appeared.

“There wasn’t just blood next to Toshiya. He said he saw something red with many legs crawling in the blood,” said Die.

“Damn it. He struck again,” cursed Kaoru.

“It’s not just toxins in Toshiya,” Die said gravely. “Look at his stomach.”

Kaoru noticed the bump under the blankets. At first he thought he had seen a ruffle of sheets, but now it became clear that Toshiya’s abdomen was swollen. Under the blankets, it gave a sudden jerk.

“What the hell was that!” Kaoru shouted.

“The doctors said something is growing inside and it’s feeding on Toshiya like a parasite,” repulsed Die.

“This is not good,” said Kaoru.

“Do you know what it is?” asked Die.

“This is  _ kodoku _ , otherwise known as  _ gu _ poison in Chinese black magic. Variations of it become  _ gong tau _ , Southeast Asian black magic. I’ve heard about it before that people use it as revenge,” said Kaoru with disgust. “The poison is made by sealing poisonous creatures like centipedes, snakes, and scorpions into a container. They will consume each other until one is left and that one will contain the venom of all the creatures.”

Die shuddered at the thought. “What happens after you feed the poison to someone?”

“It is to ensure that the person ... dies a slow and painful death,” said Kaoru. “It will eat away that person from the inside.”

Die put his hand to his mouth. “Is there a cure to all this?”

“The antidote lies with the caster.”

“Why did it have to end up like this? He wants to see us all suffer.”

They both looked at Toshiya through the window.

“We can’t let him die,” said Die bearing a pained expression. “That thing inside him is growing and is eating at his life as we speak.”

“I don’t have time to look for some witch doctor,” said Kaoru.

“Damn. The tabloids got a hold of it so quickly,” said Die.

He scrolled on his phone and read aloud.

“Bassist T of a well known metal band was hospitalized. He was found unconscious on the floor of a club restroom. Members of the same band, D and S, have been rumored to have suffered from an alleged house break in and abnormal assailants. Has the bad luck streak continued for them since their hiatus? Management has not spoken yet about the happening, but strange incidents have kept afloat around the members.”

“The last thing I want to see is to have it all publicized,” said Kaoru shaking his head.

A doctor and a nurse came to check on Toshiya. Kaoru rushed to intercept the doctor. He wore thick glasses and gray streaks in his hair.

“Please tell me there’s a way to cure Toshiya,” he said.

“You two are family of the patient?” asked the doctor.

“We are in the same band,” answered Die. “I was the one who checked him to the hospital.”

“I am Yamaguchi. We are working on an antidote for the patient. What he has in his blood is a complex venom we have never seen before. It appears to be composited from a number of toxins. We need a formula to combat each of the individual toxins in this composited venom. When we examined his body, we found no puncture wounds of any sorts. It looks like something was consumed by the patient,” explained the doctor.

“The drinks,” said Die. “Someone must have slipped something.”

“Excuse me? Someone?”

“Uh ... nothing,” Die said quickly.

“I need to know what is going on.”

Die exchanged Kaoru a glance.

“I heard rumors of a supposedly famous band whose members are being attacked. It’s not my business to pry into personal affairs, but I don’t think it’s a coincidence that my patient is also a musician of a famous band. This concerns his life, I need to know so I can help him,” Yamaguchi said sternly.

“ _ Sensei _ , there’s someone bearing a grudge. We don’t know who it is, but we know he’s going after each of us. I didn’t think that Toshiya would fall victim so quickly after seeing us just a few hours before,” Kaoru confided in the doctor.

He prayed that he could trust this man to save Toshiya’s life.

The doctor turned to asked Die.

“You said something about drinks?”

“He went out drinking tonight. His drinking buddy said they were having a few beers and mixed drinks. If it wasn’t the bartender, it was the staff.”

“If I can get a sample of the drink, our lab can possibly determine more about the venom. It might even explain the worms in his blood.”

“W-worms! I thought it was just  _ that thing _ !” exclaimed Die.

“Unfortunately that parasite in his stomach has also spawned some other things. It’s not only the poison we have to worry about. Knowing the source of the poison would help us determine a better antidote. The patient is somewhat stabilized with the anti-venoms we injected him with, but the other venoms are wearing down his body.”

“Could it have been ... that thing?” Die said to himself.

“What thing? There’s something else?” inquired Yamaguchi.

“Toshiya’s friend said something strange. He thought he saw something red crawl from the ... remains,” said Die.

“Whoever this person has plotted against my patient has been well versed in toxicology. The complex venom can very likely be a concentration of various extracts of poisonous plants and animals. Once we get the lab results on further testing, there’s hope to discover a solution behind this puzzle,” said the doctor. “I assure you we are all working on it.”

*****

“Is it ok leaving him in the hospital? With no one watching him?”

“There’s not much we can do there. We’ll leave it to Yamaguchi to watch over now. We’re not the medical experts,” said Kaoru. “That sorcerer wants to see us watch Toshiya suffer. He wants us to feel helpless and pick us one by one.”

“Pretty arrogant if you ask me. Like we’re gonna stand by and do nothing,” said Die folding his arms. Then he stopped and let out a small yell.

“Kyo!”

“Hey guys,” Kyo said casually.

“What are you doing here?” said Die embarrassed at his brief outburst.

“I followed you guys and talked to the spirits around here. The hospital is swarming with them. Even here in the parking lot.”

Kaoru and Die couldn’t see a thing except Kyo standing in front of them.

“Have you figured out anything on Toshiya?” asked Kyo.

Kaoru explained the  _ gu _ poison to Kyo.

“I noticed some of the patients in the hospital have this black mist around them. I think it’s what you call a shadow of death,” said Kyo.

“Can you see it on Toshiya?” asked Kaoru.

“Not yet, but the energy around him feels bad. I feel something dark inside of him,” related Kyo. “I suggest you both hurry up and find the answer before his condition worsens. I’ll keep an eye on him and let you know if something is up.”

“Thanks for the heads up.”

Kyo’s body was fading into translucency.

“Go back to the club ...”

At the club, people had deserted the area. Only a small handful of customers lounged around the bar. The men’s restroom was sealed off by tape. Kaoru and Die had white masks over their faces and scanned the perimeter. Very few staff were left on site. They decided to corner one of the waitresses.

“We have a few questions to ask you,” Kaoru began.

“I’m sorry I have work to attend to— wait a second, aren’t you two ...” the waitress said.

“ _ We _ are in a rush,” interrupted Die. “We need to know who was the server for  _ this _ table.”

He pointed to the table Toshiya was sitting in hours before.

“That would be Mari-chan.”

“Where is she right now?” demanded Die.

“S-she’s in the break room. I can go get her,” said the startled waitress.

“Usually you’re the flirty one,” noted Kaoru.

“Not tonight,” snapped Die.

Mari appeared in front of the two guitarists.

“Hi. How may I help you out?” she asked politely.

“Tell me what you did tonight. Did you spike Toshiya’s drink?” Die said rashly.

Kaoru squeezed Die’s shoulder as a warning.

“Absolutely not!” defended the waitress. “I have already talked to the police about this. I served my tables their orders and worked the register. If you don’t believe me, you are welcome to inspect CCTV footage.”

“How about the drinks? Do you remember what my friend ordered?” asked Kaoru in a more milder manner than Die.

“Toshiya’s table ordered two rounds of our happy hour special tonight. Then they decided to order some drinks which I had the bartender fix for them. I can check the machine to confirm,” said Mari.

She pulled up the information of the screen and printed out a long receipt. On it read two dozen bottles of beer, a whiskey sour, two Long Island Iced Teas, a martini, and Manhattan.

“Your friend ordered a Manhattan,” said Mari with her hands on her hip. “Is there anything else you need from me?”

She shot Die a death glare.

“Do you remember what happened after he drank? And who was the bartender that made their drinks tonight?” queried Kaoru.

“They drank for a long time. I saw your friend walk to the restroom, very drunk at this point. Then one of our guys, Tasuke, walked in to see him on the ground,” answered Mari.

“The bartender?” Kaoru pressed on.

“Ah, you mean Benjamin? He’s the new bartender we employed this week. He went home after the police talked to him. You’re not thinking he’s the one responsible? Your friend had severe alcohol poisoning. That’s what the paramedics told us.”

“No ... we were hoping Benjamin may have noticed something odd,” said Kaoru awkwardly.

“If anything Benjamin was honored to see Toshiya when he found out he was our customer,” said Mari. “He’s a very big fan of you guys. He told me he studied Japanese and came to Japan just to see you guys in person.”

“Wow. Talk about dedication,” said Die.

“Do you think we can take a look at the restroom?” asked Kaoru.

“Um ... I’m afraid it’s off limits for now,” said Mari.

“Why? The police have taken whatever they needed from the site,” said Die. “I was there when I got Toshiya.”

“Well ... it hasn’t been properly cleaned yet and we don’t want our customers to see it,” said Mari looking to the side.

“If it’s just a little blood, that’s nothing compared what Toshiya is going through now,” said Die.

He went ahead to inspect the restroom.

“Sorry about this. Die’s been really tense since Toshiya ... well you know,” explained Kaoru.

“Oh,” Mari replied.

“Normally he would probably be hitting on you, but ... never mind what I said!” said Kaoru. “He’s not the kind of guy you think he is!”

Mari raised an eyebrow.

“I’m not going to stop you from going in then. But mind the floor,” warned Mari. “It’s ... not such a great sight to see.”

Kaoru pushed open the door. Die held his nose and sprayed the entire restroom with a mist.

“What the hell are you doing?” said Kaoru.

“This shit is so nasty, I’m gonna puke,” said Die.

The congealed blood had not been cleaned up since Toshiya was carried out. Most of the dark liquid pooled under the sink. Flecks of it splattered onto the mirror and on the sink rim. A bloody hand print was left on the edge of the sink and on the wall. A slithering trail was leading away from the pool and into a toilet stall. Both Kaoru and Die gave each other an affirmative look.

They followed the trail and pushed open the door. The small trail of tiny footprints disappeared behind the toilet.

“I am NOT going to touch that thing,” Die stated.

“Neither am I,” said Kaoru.

The small creature poked its head out. Both Kaoru and Die wrinkled their faces in distaste. Very quickly their faces changed into horror. A large, red centipede with long yellow legs crawled out of its new residence.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't like centipedes. This particular one is nasty and I based it off an existing one that is really venomous.


	11. Expose Yourself

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> BGM: Ware, Tote Tami by Dir en grey

“GET THAT THING AWAY FROM ME!” screamed Die.

“Stop being a wuss,” said Kaoru. “It’s just a centipede.”

“I’m being real here. That thing is the devil incarnate,” said Die.

The centipede proceeded to move. Its legs moved in file with one another as it crawled up the restroom wall. The elongated body inched and left some more minuscule footprints.

“If that thing is what crawled out of Toshiya, I’m pretty sure Yamaguchi can find the antidote if we give it to him,” said Kaoru.

“You’re not telling me you’re going to catch it,” said Die shifting away.

The sinister creature shuffled along the wall.

“I still can’t believe he ate the damn thing,” said Die looking as if he were about to vomit.

“He consumed the  _ gu _ , not the centipede,” corrected Kaoru. “Remember that there are parasites growing in Toshiya. They’ll probably be miniature versions of this guy.”

“Stop it, Kaoru,” grimaced Die.

“Make yourself useful and get some glass cups and something to swat this thing with,” barked Kaoru.

Die dashed out of the restroom mumbling under his breath.

Returning with a dust broom and a whiskey glass, Die flinched when he saw the red creature crawl toward him. He threw the broom at Kaoru.

“Kill it!” Die screeched.

“Kill it? What, no!” argued Kaoru. “We need it alive to make an anti-venom. Didn’t you learn that in biology?”

“Do I look like a scientist to you!”

“Since you have the glass, are you going to catch it?”

Die immediately thrust the glass to Kaoru and retrieved the broom.

Kaoru let out a scowl.

“Well, get going Die,” directed Kaoru.

Die waved the broom at the wall aiming for the creature.

“Don’t kill it!”

“How can I not kill it when I know it wants to kill us?”

He made a sweeping motion at the centipede to lure it towards Kaoru’s direction. The scolopendra gave a threatening hiss at Die.

“These things make sound?!” screamed Die.

“Not that I know of!” Kaoru yelled out equally surprised.

“Clearly this isn’t the normal kind!” Die replied back.

The red creature raced down the wall and across the floor to Die. Die leaped over the pool of blood away from the centipede. It sauntered closer and closer until Die slammed broom onto its body.

“I told you not to kill it!” scolded Kaoru.

“Better safe than sorry,” pouted Die.

He lifted the broom to see that nothing was there.

“Where did it go?” asked Die.

“Don’t look down,” commanded Kaoru.

Already Die’s eyes had betrayed him. The scolopendra was inching towards him along the broom handle. He made a sharp inhale and stared down at his mortal enemy. Die flung the broom to the floor.  _ CLACK! _ The plastic handle collided with the tiles. The scolopendra squirmed under the broom handle before turning its body over. As soon as it coiled itself, Kaoru cupped the tiny beast in the glass. It hissed as it retaliated against the glass.

Die heaved out a sigh of relief. Mari appeared at the restroom door.

“I heard some loud noise and came to check,” she said. “What is going on?”

“Can you get some tape for us?” requested Kaoru.

Mari caught sight of the centipede and her eyes were nearly popping out from their sockets. She disappeared quickly and returned with a wad of tissues and clear tape. The centipede was now wrapped in its glass prison.    

*****

“How did you manage to get this? This would greatly aid us in the search for the antidote,” said Yamaguchi highly impressed.

He held the trapped centipede in his hands before setting it down on the table.

“We will send it to the lab immediately tomorrow morning,” said the doctor.

Yamaguchi glanced at the clock on the wall. It was nearly 3am.

“In a few hours actually.”

“How is Toshiya right now?” Die asked anxiously.

“I can’t give you an exact answer,” replied the doctor. “Normally once you have the poison removed, the patient is cured. We have been monitoring the patient now and the problem is that the parasite is the poison itself. As much as the other toxins have been neutralized, the parasite still remains. It is impossible to use surgery to remove the parasite as it is too risky. It is too dangerous to operate while the parasite has proven to be extremely hostile.

Yamaguchi pulled out some images for Kaoru and Die to inspect.

“This is what we got from the blood test under microscopic magnification.”

The little worm-like creatures were present by the hundreds in the image of Toshiya’s blood test.

“Normally parasites do not show up under most imaging tests. The parasite in the patient’s body however is large enough to be captured through x-ray.”

The following image brought shock to Kaoru and Die’s face. A captured image of a scolopendra identical to the one they caught was coiled in Toshiya’s stomach.

“If you can’t use surgery to remove it, what other options do we have left?” asked Kaoru.

“If we can develop the antidote in time, it should be able to kill all the parasites in the patient’s blood stream including the large one in his stomach,” said Yamaguchi.

Die leaned back into his seat and placed his hands over his face.

“What about Toshiya? How will he fare after the drug is administered?” he asked.

“His body will be weak, but we will secure him with the necessary nutrients and do a blood cleansing.”

“Thank you,  _ sensei _ ,” said Kaoru.

They bid the doctor a temporary farewell and left the hospital office. Turning around the corner, they met with Kyo who was waiting outside Toshiya’s room.

“He’s not very happy,” said Kyo. “I can feel it.”

“He?” asked Kaoru.

“The sorcerer,” said Kyo. “He knows that you have found something out.”

“Of course he would know. A caster is linked to the  _ gu _ poison as it allows the caster to operate from far distances,” said Kaoru. “We’re getting closer to cracking the case.”

“Not yet,” interrupted Die. “We still don’t know who put the  _ gu _ in Toshiya’s drink and I think this Benjamin guy feels very suspicious.”

“What makes you say that?” asked Kyo.

“I don’t know. My gut instinct,” replied Die.

“But then anyone of the staff and bartenders could have poisoned Toshiya. We have no proof and no time to do extra sleuthing,” reasoned Kaoru.

“I think we should call it a night. I’m too tired to think right now,” said Die.

*****

Back at the club, Tasuke finished cleaning the mop and placed it in the broom closet. The chairs have been put up and the floors have been wiped clean.

“Mari! I’m going to the basement for a little bit,” called out Tasuke.

“No problem. I’m gonna take the garbage out the back,” Mari replied back.

Tasuke’s steps disappeared downstairs while Mari rounded up the rest of the empty liquor bottles. She placed them in a large crate and lugged it out the back door. The glass clinked against each other as Mari walked. She dropped the crate near the dumpster in the back alley. Some footsteps shuffled along the gravel.

“Oh hey! What are you doing here? I thought you went home already?” Mari said surprised.

“There’s one more deed left to be done,” said the voice. “The voice must be silenced.”

“Wait, you’re not—.”

Mari’s sentence was cut short by a bloodcurdling scream.

 

The next day, news of Mari’s corpse found in the alley way spread like wildfire linking the hospitalization of bassist T together. Kaoru and Die found themselves summoned by the police.

“I told you! We were with doctor Yamaguchi after we left the club. You can check the hospital footage,” said Kaoru.

“Surely even the club has cameras installed,” added Die.

“Lemme handle this one,” said a voice.

It was the police officer that handled Shinya’s case.

“Hello boys. We meet again,” said the officer. “I have not formally introduced myself. I am Kobayashi.”

“Officer, I swear we had nothing to do with Mari. We only had questions about our band mate,” said Kaoru.

“It’s not that I don’t believe you,” said Kobayashi. “The CCTV footage has captured the both of you talking to Mari before her time of death. Just very shortly after you two gentlemen left, the camera had interference and wasn’t able to record anything except a bunch of static. The hospital footage only captures you at the time of entry. During the period between Mari’s death and your entry into the hospital, you have no alibi to prove your innocence. Unless you know someone that has seen you during this short window of time, both of you are suspects.”

“Kobayashi! We got some new sources!” said an officer.

“Just give me a minute,” said Kobayashi.

He left Kaoru and Die at their seats and talked to the other officer. Their conversation was in hushed whispers and they occasionally shot looks at the seated guitarists. Kobayashi then approached them.

“You guys are free to go.”

“Wait, what? Weren’t we suspects a few minutes ago?” remarked Die.

“There’s some new footage showing a hooded stranger walking towards the direction of the alley way captured by another camera on the street. Unfortunately, it couldn’t record what happened in the alley way due to the angle. I shouldn’t be telling you this yet, but the face under the hood is Stephen Mavros, the man from the FBI’s wanted list,” said Kobayashi in a low voice. “That’s all I can tell you now.”

“This is all too strange,” said Die.

“First the poison, now a murder out of nowhere,” said Kaoru.

He now dropped his voice to a whisper only audible to Die.

“If Mari was murdered, I have a feeling she probably knew something about Toshiya’s incident. Why pick the time right after we left the club?,” said Kaoru.

“I still think this Benjamin fellow has something to do with it. A Dir en grey fan who was recently employed this week of the incident? Doesn’t this all seem a bit fishy?” added Die.

“You are suspecting him to be the root of it all? We have Mavros, the murderer on the loose right now coinciding with this case. Doesn’t that seem fishier?” argued Kaoru.

“But what does Mavros has to do with Toshiya? Was Mavros there when Toshiya was poisoned? This can be two separate cases going on. Maybe Mavros has beef with Mari and Benjamin has a thing against Toshiya,” suggested Die.

“You’re just pulling this all out of thin air,” said Kaoru.

“Whatever. The police are going to question everyone who knows Mari anyways. They’ll probably find something before us. We should go check up on Toshiya.”

*****

At the hospital room, Toshiya was still unconscious. His skin was more ashier than before and the bulge in his stomach didn’t go away. The monitor showed his weakening pulse. Kaoru intercepted the nurse entering the room to ask about Toshiya’s condition.

“He’s been administered more drugs, but his condition has worsened. The lab still hasn’t sent in an antidote and we’re all racing against time now,” she replied.

Kyo appeared alongside her. Clearly she was unable to see him as he passed through the wall into Toshiya’s room. The nurse checked the monitor and recorded the information on her clipboard. Kyo passed through the wall again.

“I can see the black,” Kyo said severely. “He doesn’t have much time left.”

“Damn it. Is there nothing we can do,” said Kaoru with frustration.

“The Reaper is coming soon,” said Kyo.

“Reaper? Like the Grim Reaper?” asked Die.

“He’s coming to collect the souls of the deceased. I’ve been watching the patients who have the shadow of death. The Reaper comes and the patients just go with him,” said Kyo.

“What? This is too bizarre. We can’t let Toshiya walk off with some dude under a cloak,” said Die.

“For the record, he doesn’t have a scythe,” said Kyo.

“The antidote is probably on its way. Is there a way to stall a Reaper?” asked Kaoru.

“No, you can’t stall a Reaper. When your time is done, it’s done,” said Kyo.

“What about you? Did you see the Reaper when you died?” asked Die.

“No. I’m not sure why, but I’m guessing maybe the circumstances were a little different. That might explain why there’s a Limbo or the Veil whatever you like to call it,” said Kyo. “I can’t seem to remember how I got here.”

“All we can do it wait now,” said Kaoru.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Scary adventures in the club restroom. That should be the subtitle for this title. It sounded funny in my head.


	12. I See You

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> BGM: Lie Buried With a Vengeance by Dir en grey

The ward Toshiya was in was purposely sectioned off to prevent reporters from entering. The white halls were empty except for the nurses pushing equipment from room to room.  _ Beep. Beep. Beep. _ The monitor showed that Toshiya’s pulse significantly weakened. Kaoru and Die could only watch from behind the glass window. Kyo would occasionally pass through the walls and observe closely.

“The mist is dark,” he said worried. “I can barely see him.”

“Where is the doctor? Shouldn’t they be done by now? We’ve been here since the morning,” Die remarked impatiently.

“There’s no one coming to check on Toshiya. What is wrong with them,” Kaoru said angrily. “I need to look for Yamaguchi.”

Kaoru’s boots clapped the hospital floors loudly as he searched for Yamaguchi’s office. He was furious that Toshiya in his condition has been greatly ignored.

“Where is everybody?” noted Die.

The ward was deathly quiet. Not a single nurse or doctor was in sight. Offices were lit, but were abandoned. Kaoru quickened his pace. At least he reached the already opened door, He didn’t bother to knock and stormed right in.

“Yamaguchi, where—,” Kaoru spoke.

Papers were flown all across the room. A pile of folders were carelessly thrown to the ground. The phone on Yamaguchi’s desk was off its receiver. On the metal cabinets was a long streak of dark blood. Kaoru walked and peered over the doctor’s desk. Die followed suit. Yamaguchi’s head leaked with blood. The small pool where his forehead laid on the floor had congealed.

“What the hell happened here!” said Die.

“We gotta get someone,” said Kaoru.

They ran out of the office and searched the rest of the rooms. Like the previous rooms, they were empty. Die made a separate turn from Kaoru and paused in his steps.

“Kaoru!” he called out.

Kaoru ran and watched the scene in horror. The hallway was filled with uniformed nurses and doctors unconscious on the ground. Some had their bodies contorted at odd angles while some had lacerations on their bodies. The vibrating phone in Kaoru’s pocket rang. It was Shinya.

“Kaoru! Tell me what the hell happened to Toshiya? Why wasn’t I informed earlier!” Shinya’s voice rang from the phone.

“I have no time to explain now! I need to call the police! I’m at the hospital with Die where Toshiya is staying, but there’s a bunch of dead doctors and nurses here!” Kaoru said quickly.

“What?! What’s going to happen to Toshiya then!”

“I don’t know! I need to find someone quick!”

“Kaoru! This one’s alive!” Die called out.

He knelt beside a nurse who had a bruise on her face. Her eyelids fluttered open as Die shook her awake.

“What happened? I passed out and I—.” The nurse’s eyes bulged when she saw the blood.

“We just found you here among them. What do you remember?” Kaoru asked sternly.

“I was tending to my duties when I heard a scream. I ran to see that one of the doctors was on the ground. The nurse that was with him suddenly slammed into the wall like someone invisible picked her up and threw her across like a bag. I was going to run get security until suddenly I felt myself hit the wall. Then I woke up to you two and then ...”

She broke into a sob.

“As much as I would like to give you time, we need your help desperately. There’s a patient in ICU right now that needs an antidote. He’s close to dying,” said Kaoru.

The nurse wiped her eyes and stood up clutching her head.

“Is this patient Toshiya?” asked the nurse.

Both Kaoru and Die nodded their heads.

“The antidote should have arrived from the lab and picked up ages ago,” she said frustrated. “I’ll go check the office.”

She walked around the hallway past the dead bodies. The two guitarists trailed behind her. In a small enclosed office, she searched through the trays of packaged samples.

“This isn’t right! The antidote should be here!” the nurse exclaimed.

“Calm down. Could it have been somewhere else?” asked Kaoru.

“All medication that goes to patients in the ICU are all located here. I was here this morning when I placed the order sent from the lab. Why wasn’t anyone here!”

The nurse broke down into another sob.

“First Mari now this!”

“Mari? You knew Mari?” Die said in surprise.

“I’m her sister, Erika. How do you two know her? Wait a minute, you two can’t be ...?”

“It’s a long story,” Kaoru interrupted. “We need to find this antidote first. Perhaps there’s someone else left in the hospital that can help.”

“I tried called the other offices and the phone lines are dead. We can’t even contact front desk security.”

Kaoru and Die exchanged worried looks.

“This is his work,” said Die in a low voice.

While Mari continued to look in the office, Kyo appeared.

“Kyo, what are you doing here!” Kaoru whispered loudly.

“Something didn’t feel right. The spirits in the ward are going berserk,” said Kyo.

“Toshiya’s antidote is missing and the staff are dead,” Die hissed loudly.

Kyo looked around the office.

“It’s not here,” he said.

“What?!” both Kaoru and Die said loudly.

Erika jerked from her search.

“What happened?” she asked.

“The antidote’s not here,” said Kaoru.

“How do you know?”

“Uhh ... sixth sense?” he lied.

“I know very well it’s not here. Or else I would have found it by now!” raged Erika. “Who could have done this?”

“I’m going to talk to these loony spirits in the ward. Half of them don’t even realize they’re dead,” said Kyo as he floated away.

“Do you think we can check security cam footage? Maybe we can find something out,” suggested Die.

“Good idea. I know where the room is,” said Erika.

They took the elevator up one floor. The white hallways were also eerily silent and empty. Erika guided the group to the security room and opened the door. The uniformed guard was lying headfirst on the controls. Die shook the guard and reared the man’s head. His eyes were clouded white and his mouth was wide open. Die let the man’s helpless body lean back on the chair. Erika placed her hand on the guard’s neck and above his nose. She then shook her head sadly and brushed down the guard’s eyelids.

Meanwhile Kaoru fiddled with the controls. Some screens were covered in static. He worked in camera rooms before and technology was no stranger to him. The tapes rewound themselves to the morning. They watched Erika drop by the office and multiple nurses shuffling in and out. Then the footage was fast forwarded to the attacks began. The doctor was thrown to the ground like a doll and the nurse that rushed to help was thrown into the wall. They saw Erika’s head hit the wall and then flop to the ground. More nurses and doctors entered the hallway. By now, the footage became more distorted and ended in static. After the static passed, the grisly scene was played and a mysterious figure shrouded in mist was standing there. The figure with no face looked at the camera facing them and the footage ended like that.

“What ... was that?” asked Erika.

“Something ... bad,” Die replied.

“This might seem crazy, but that’s not a real person,” said Kaoru.

“It’s an evil spirit isn’t it?” said Erika.

“What? Why would you say that?” asked Die.

“I know it’s unprofessional of me to say this being a nurse, but there were rumors in the ward of strange things haunting the hospital. Sometimes patients tell me that they see flickering lights or hear voices in the night. But each time we check, it’s a bad light bulb or a kid that likes to play at night. Occasionally we get patients telling us about seeing deceased patients that occupied the rooms before them, but they never experienced harm or anything like that,” explained Erika.

“Shinya just texted me. He said that he called the police and he’s coming over,” said Kaoru.

“What are we going to do now? There’s an evil spirit on the loose and we need to find the antidote,” said Erika.

“No one’s watching Toshiya right now. How is doing?” Die asked frantically.

Kaoru maneuvered the equipment. The hallways in Toshiya’s ward were empty and there wasn’t anything outside his room.

“I guess he’s safe for now,” said Kaoru.

Die and Erika let out a sigh.

“Erika, we need salt and iron to protect ourselves,” said Kaoru.

“The cafeteria downstairs should have salt,” said Erika. “We also make saline bags on this floor so there should be salt available as well.”

“Anything strange at the office? We still haven’t tracked the whereabouts of the antidote,” said Die.

“The footage is all full of static. I can’t see anything,” said Kaoru. “Let’s get the salt first.”

With Erika leading the way, they snaked the hospital ward to another room. She fumbled through the supplied in the room and produced a box of sea salt. She then turned and gave a yelp.

“Behind you!”

Kyo’s small body was wedged between Kaoru and Die.

“Sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you,” apologized Kyo.

“Kyo! Where have you been!” said Die.

“I was talking to the spirits in the ward. I couldn’t get an answer out of a lot of them. Some of them are scared half out of their wits. They said there’s something terrorizing the ward. No need to tell me, I saw the bodies myself,” said Kyo.

Erika shuddered at the word “bodies”, but Kyo paid her no attention.

“One of them said that they saw that evil spirit carry the antidote out. Last they saw the thing was in the basement,” said Kyo.

“That’s where everyone gets trapped in scary movies,” said Die.

“We gotta get down there. It’s our only lead,” said Kaoru. “Erika, you know the way.”

Erika nodded and showed the party to the basement. Kyo’s body also drifted along with them. They took the elevator downstairs into the dark room full of machinery. The boiler hissed and its needles shivered in their meters. Erika searched for the light switch and flipped it on. The light bulb failed to shine. Kaoru turned to phone as a light source. Die did the same and explored the basement.

“I found it!” exclaimed Die.

The bag with the vial marked “Hara Toshimasa” was clasped in his hands.

“Thank goodness it’s here,” said Kaoru relieved.

Before they could leave, the basement door shut with a bang trapping them inside. The boiler was heating up rapidly.

“Shit!” Kaoru cursed.

The door wouldn’t budge the slightest. The stifling heat was choking Kaoru’s throat. He could feel the beads of sweat drip down his face.

“At this point, the temperature will destroy the antidote,” said Erika wiping off the sweat off her face.

The three hurled themselves at the door. Still it refused to open. A dark shadow was manifesting behind them.

“Crap, the thing is here,” cursed Kaoru.

He grabbed a fistful of salt from Erika’s box and scattered it at the faceless spirit. The image of the spirit didn’t disappear after the crystals went through the body.

“What’s going on! I thought salt worked on spirits,” said Die.

“That could mean only one thing,” said Kaoru. “This thing ain’t the usual spirit.”

They continued to pound the door. The faceless spirit raised its arms and the room temperatures escalated.

“Damn it! We’re going to roast in here!” Die cried out.

“Hold on a second!” a voice cried out.

The door suddenly burst open throwing the party to the ground. The cold air of the hospital enveloped their sweaty bodies. Kyo slammed the basement door shut.

“Hurry up, guys. I’ll hold this one as long as I can,” said Kyo.

“Thanks,” Kaoru said hastily.

Back at the ICU ward, they hurried with the antidote in the crumpled bag. Erika pushed the box of salt into Die’s hands and took the antidote. She looked at Toshiya’s monitor.

“We still have time. Let’s make this work,” said Erika.

She slapped on disposable gloves and pulled out a trolley of tools. In the metal tray, she speedily prepared a syringe and pumped the antidote from its vial. Toshiya’s arm was rubbed with alcohol and tightened with an elastic band. Erika located the bulging vein and inserted the syringe. The fluids were charged into the bloodstream.

Erika looked at the monitor again. Toshiya’s pulse was slowly regaining a faster rhythm. She whipped out the clipboard by Toshiya’s bedside and recorded as she read aloud.

“Heart rate normal. Pulse normal. Temperature is slowly rising. Everything is going to be okay guys,” smiled Erika. “He will live.”

Kaoru and Die bumped fists in victory. Erika’s face screwed in fear upon looking through the window.

“Oh no,” she said softly. The faceless spirit returned. Kyo tailed the spirit in an attempt to stop it from moving. With a flick of the wrist, Kyo was banished into thin air. Die looked down at his box of salt.

“What else are spirits afraid of,” he said.

Kaoru gulped. The faceless spirit in a white hospital gown looked back at him.

“I said salt before, but this one isn’t afraid. Depending on culture, different spirits heed different weaknesses,” said Kaoru.

Erika shook terribly and clung onto Die’s arm. He could feel her intense grip. He too was trembling.

“If it depends on culture, what if this one is a Japanese ghost, an onryou? We need an  _ onmyouji _ to exorcise it or someone who knows Buddhist mantras,” said Die.

“Don’t look at me. I’m not the Buddhist here,” said Kaoru.

“I’m not the holy one either,” said Die.

The faceless spirit raised its arms again. The glass window shattered and an unnatural wind entered the room. Equipment attached to Toshiya’s bed rattled in their places. The metal tray holding the empty vial and syringe shook and fell on the floor with a clatter.

“BEGONE EVIL SPIRIT,” a voice bellowed out.

A white piece of parchment with a scribble of black ink was thrown at the faceless spirit. Upon touch, the ethereal mass exploded with a blinding light and high pitched humming. The room and hallway was temporarily filled with white rays. When the light died down, Shinya wandered in.

“Oh dear, are you guys alright?” he asked.

“Shinya, you saved us,” said Kaoru drained of strength.

“Shin-chan!” Die called out.

“Stop calling me that,” Shinya said blandly.

His boots crunched on the shattered glass and took a peek at Toshiya.

“How is he?” Shinya asked.

“His body is weak from fighting the poison, but he is in stable condition,” said Erika.

“The police should be coming soon. It took me a long time to convince them that there was a threat,” said Shinya. “You wouldn’t believe what I saw downstairs in the lobby.”

Two uniformed policemen straggled down the hall and into Toshiya’s room. They motioned two paramedics to come retrieve Toshiya.

“They’re over here!”

Toshiya began to stir from his long sleep.

“Wh-where am I?” he asked.

“Toshiya!” the three band members shouted.

“You’re currently in a hospital. You just fought a terrible poison in your body and lived,” smiled Erika.

“The last thing I remember was vomiting over a sink. How did I end up here?” asked Toshiya.

“It’s a long story,” said Kaoru.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hospital spirits aren't exactly the friendly type. I wouldn't say this would be Toshiya's fondest memory.


	13. Grief and Burning Fury

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> BGM: Mushi by Dir en grey

**** “Why is it that every time I see you boys, there’s something bad happening?” said Kobayashi.

The deep creases in his brow denoted suspicion and mistrust.

“Maybe because there’s a serial killer after us,” said Die.

“We’re not talking Mavros here. Besides we still haven’t established a connection between Mavros and the poisoned drink case,” spat Kobayashi.

“What about that bartender named Benjamin? He seems suspicious enough. I think you can chug a few words out of him since he most likely poisoned Toshiya,” Die said sharply.

“Benjamin was found dead in his apartment, the strange thing is that he’s been dead for quite awhile,” said Kobayashi. “Yet staff at the club claim that he’s been working as bartender for a week.”

“So what’s the deal here? That everyone’s lying?” said Die.

“Footage at the club shows him working at the bar, but our medical examiners performed an autopsy revealing that the body has been dead for at least a week,” stressed Kobayashi. “The footage also caught his hand slipping something into the drink for a very brief moment.”

“So it was him after all,” said Die.

“Get a load of this. Benjamin was only an alias. He was actually Colin Hill, a foreign exchange student missing two weeks ago,” said Kobayashi.

“What the hell is even going on anymore,” said Die.

Kaoru who was silent this entire time struggled to put the pieces together. As much as the dead Colin Hill was responsible for poisoning Toshiya, he was not the sorcerer that Kyo spoke of. The sorcerer was still hiding somewhere plotting his next move.

“Is there something you know about this case? It would help very much if you told us something,” asked Kobayashi.

“We have reason to believe that someone is after the band and he is still alive out there. This Colin Hill was probably a disposable pawn he murdered after he fulfilled his use,” said Kaoru with impertinence. “This is all we know on our side.”

“Look I’m not trying to say I don’t trust you guys at all. There’s no evidence proving that the same person was responsible for these cases. We don’t know if there’s more than one person or if these are separate cases altogether,” said Kobayashi.

“I am the next target,” said Kaoru definitely.

Die and Shinya stared at him with shock.

“I can feel it. He will go after all of us and I am the last one,” said Kaoru.

Kobayashi slumped to the back of his swivel chair.

“I can’t help you if you guys are hiding something. Anything is helpful.”

The three were silent.

“I’m open to ideas,” he said rubbing his temples. “The carnage in the lobby was inexplicable. The hospital footage showed bodies flying in the air and moving on their own like someone puppeteered the whole show. Never in my career have I encountered something like this. And now we got Mavros running loose for no reason. The Metropolitan Police already has enough on their hands.”

*****

Toshiya was transferred to smaller hospital nearby. He was sitting on his bed with headphones in his ears.

“Nice of you guys to visit,” said Toshiya looking up. “It would have been better if you weren’t empty-handed.”

“The doctor said you can’t eat anything for the time being. You need rest,” said Kaoru.

“Once they confirm that my body is up and going, they’re gonna discharge me. I just racked up a ton of hospital bills. I don’t want to stay here any longer,” complained Toshiya. “Did you guys see Kyo while I was out?”

“Yeah. He led us to your antidote,” said Die.

“Damn. Why do I always miss him? I don’t remember a single thing when I was out,” said Toshiya.

“Do you remember anything specific the day you passed out?” asked Shinya.

“I drank a lot of sure. Lined up a bunch of shots with those bastards I call friends. But seriously, we drank a lot that night. I don’t even remember how much I drank. I got up because I felt like puking. On the way, I probably bumped into some dude like a staff or whatever. The next thing you know, I’m perched over the toilet belching out my insides. I thought I was done until I got to the sink. I felt like puking again only this time if like I was gonna puke out my liver. You wouldn’t believe what happened next,” said Toshiya.

“You threw up the centipede that you ate. It was fucking disgusting,” said Die reliving the memory of scolopendra hunting.

“Dude, I did  _ not _ eat a fucking centipede. That thing was fucking nasty.”

“You were drunk as hell. How would you know if you decided to stick some worm down your throat.”

“Anyways, I puked that motherfucker out and a shit ton of blood before I passed out. That’s all I remember.”

“Did you notice anything strange? Like the bartender who made your drink,” Kaoru inquired further.

“I can’t really see the bar from where I sat.”

“What about your drink?”

“Tasted fine to me.”

“Looks like we’re back to square one,” said Die.

“Doesn’t this feel like too much of a coincidence? We questioned Mari and she gets killed in a few hours. We suspected the bartender who we knew as Benjamin at the time and he turns up dead. These two cases have got to be connected in some way,” said Kaoru.

“What if Mavros is not only the serial killer, but also the sorcerer?” said Shinya.

“That’s just ridiculous,” scoffed Die.

“Think about it. Mavros is wanted by the FBI which is in the United States. Kyo, who was the first victim, disappeared during our North American tour. Again in the United States,” continued Shinya. “Mavros then appears here in Japan out of all places and also decides to kill Mari out of all people. Wouldn’t that make Mavros a very likely suspect for the role of sorcerer.”

“How would you know? What if he’s killed loads of people already to satisfy his own psychotic needs?,” said Die.

“You know, Shinya might be right,” said Kaoru. “Let’s just say for now, Mavros decides to kill Mari after we questioned her. Mari knew something about Mavros that would lead us to him.”

“But what would Mari know?” asked Toshiya. “After all she was just a server.”

“She knew the bartender. We suspected him, but she said it wasn’t him right off the bat,” said Die. “Next thing you know, he’s dead. Dead for a week apparently. Like you wouldn’t notice that you would be working next to a stinking corpse.”

“Hmm. Speaking of stink, I think I ran into a guy at the club that smelled funny,” said Toshiya scratching head.

“Smelled funny?” asked Kaoru. “Anything odd that you remember?”

“Like I said before, I was drunk so I can’t really remember how he looked. He may said something like the deed has been done or whatever. But he had this weird smell on him. What’s that thing that smells like kinda like moth balls?” said Toshiya.

“Camphor,” replied Shinya.

“Oh no,” said Kaoru upon realization.

“What is it?” asked Die.

“Camphor is used in embalming. Forensics and medical examiners also use camphor to deal with the strong odors of bodies,” explained Kaoru.

“Are you telling me I bumped into a dead guy!” shouted Toshiya.

“If Colin Hill has been dead for at least a week and people are saying he’s been working the bar, I think we have just experienced full on necromancy,” said Kaoru.

“This sorcerer has reached new levels of sick here,” said Die.

“We still need to find out why Mari was offed. What was it that she knew? Why didn’t the other staff get killed?” Kaoru spoke aloud.

“I don’t think we can get Mari’s first hand account. Hey dead person, do you have any idea why you got axed?” said Die sarcastically.

“Did you forget that we have Kyo, our supernatural communicator?” said Kaoru.

*****

“Are you ready?” asked Kaoru.

“Let’s see if she shows up,” said Kyo.

The back alley of the club was dark and sealed with yellow caution tape. It is unsure if the dark splat on the ground was previous residue or blood from the murder. The band members except for Toshiya who was still stuck in the hospital room hovered at the alley entrance peeking into the darkness trying to get a glimpse of a ghost, but there was naught.

“Mari, we’re here to talk to you. We have a few questions,” Kaoru said bravely.

“You can do us all a favor and show yourself. I can see you,” said Kyo.

A glowing body manifested at the end of the alley. The figure of Mari with a bloody neck drifted towards them.

“The last time I answered your questions, I ended up dead,” she said flatly.

“Look we’re really sorry. We didn’t know it would end up like this,” said Kaoru.

“I was kinda mean too for snapping at you. I wanna say sorry for that,” Die apologized.

“It would have been helpful if you gave me a heads up about what I was dealing with!” Mari shouted.

Her slit neck was now spurting blood and her face contorted into a mix of rage and anguish. Shinya stepped backwards at the sight.

“Calm yourself, Mari. We’re only here to help,” said Kyo feeling her anger.

“Are you ... Kyo? The vocalist who went missing a year ago?” asked Mari.

The blood stopped spurting and her image reverted back to Mari with a slit throat. She approached Kyo to touch him. To her surprise, she couldn’t pass through him.

“What! How did you become like this!” she cried out.

“It’s a very long story,” assured Kyo. “But it’s related to you as well. We need your assistance.”

“Before I do that, I need to know what happened to Benjamin. Is he alright?” said Mari.

“I’m afraid Benjamin isn’t who you know him to be,” said Kaoru.

He explained the circumstances to her.

“I-I can’t believe it. I always thought he was just a quirky guy and maybe it’s because he’s a foreigner,” said Mari.

The street lamps flickered uncontrollably and the nearby car alarm went off.

“Hold on a sec! Stay grounded here!” ordered Kyo.

Mari’s image who was contorting again slowly became calm once again.

“Tell us, why were you killed by Mavros? Was it something you knew?” asked Kaoru.

“Frankly, I don’t really understand what’s going on. I was out here cleaning up and ready to close shop. I thought it was Benjamin who came back to the club because he always had that odd smell on him. The alley was dark and couldn’t see very clearly. Then when I looked closer at the guy, it was that serial killer that they’ve been showing on TV. It was at that moment that I froze,” said Mari.

“Anyone would have froze. He pointed a knife at you right?” asked Die.

“I was very afraid and wanted to leave really badly. I get that when you’re scared, you become a deer in the headlights, but this time it was different. I was desperate to move and I couldn’t move a single bit. It felt unnatural. When he drew that knife to my face, I had to feel it running across my neck,” continued Mari. “I don’t know what he did to me, but it was really weird and freaky.”

The band looked at each other with confirming looks.

“I still don’t know why I died, to be honest. Maybe you guys can figure something out for me,” said Mari.

“Can you tell us about Colin—that’s Benjamin’s real name? We think he’s part of the reason,” said Kaoru. “Anything would be fine.”

“We needed to hire some more part-timers since we were short on staff recently. Benjamin, or Colin I should say, at the time showed up when we were hiring and he had all the necessary documents to prove everything including a license to bartend. So he showed up to work and everything went smoothly,” said Mari. “I told you how I thought he was quirky guy. He likes to say some strange things like ‘the deed has been done’. But now that I think about it, there were some pretty abnormal things. Before he worked here a week ago, he specified that he could only work at night. At times I would catch him talking to himself as if he was an entirely different person.”

“Do you remember anything he said?” asked Kaoru.

“He said some really strange things out of nowhere. Things like I can’t do this anymore or I shouldn’t be here. I confronted him about it, but he answered my questions with ease. That’s when I thought, ahh he’s just a really excited Dir en grey fan,” Mari continued.

“So that’s when you stop suspecting him.”

“On the day Toshiya got poisoned, the police questioned everyone. That’s when I saw him break down terribly. I thought it was just nervousness at first, but he wouldn’t stop shaking. He said he couldn’t take orders from someone any more and something about killing people. Then he ran off and that was that.”

“It didn’t strike you as odd?” asked Die.

“It was a stressful night for all of us. I assumed that he was frazzled like the rest of the staff,” said Mari.

“Thank you for telling us. It will help us a lot,” said Kaoru.

“Well, my job is done here. I guess I feel a little better now,” said Mari.

Her body glowed and her feet was disappearing.

“Before I go, tell my sister she did a great job. She would make a fine doctor,” smiled Mari.

She disappeared into gold dust and fluttered away.

“Shinya, you were right. Mavros is the sorcerer after all,” said Kaoru. “Colin was a corpse being manipulated through necromancy to obey Mavros’ orders, but he couldn’t handle being Benjamin and Colin at the same time.”

“That would explain the talking-to-yourself act,” said Shinya.

“I’m guessing Colin’s conscience couldn’t handle being a murderer,” added Die.

“Mavros was scared that Mari would reveal too much so he decided to get rid of her. What he didn’t anticipate that it fueled our suspicions even more,” said Kaoru. “We’re one step closer to him.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A new truth has been revealed, but still, who is Mavros? There will be new trials to face in the future.


	14. While I Breathe, I Hope

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> BGM: Magayasou by Dir en grey

Billowing white steam puffed out of the rattling metal pot. The cook opened the pot and met face to face with a huge slap of heated moisture. He lifted the steamer out and neatly set the shumai onto a small plate. The waitress carried the plate and set it at Kaoru’s table.

“So what are going to do?” asked Toshiya.

“What do you mean?” asked Kaoru.

“Are you going to wait around for Mavros to attack you or are you going to do something?”

“What is there to do? I can’t predict his next thought and I don’t know where he is.”

“I’m actually kinda surprised we made it this far,” said Die.

“I’m still bummed that you guys saw Kyo,” Toshiya pouted.

“I’m ready to pound that guy for ruining my life,” said Shinya.

Kaoru let out a long sigh. The  _ izakaya _ was empty again except for them and a busy kitchen.

“Mavros should be pretty desperate right now. All his attempts to kill us has failed and we barely escape the Reaper each time,” began Kaoru. “Since I am most likely his next target, he will put his all into obliterating us once and for all.”

“What, ‘cuz you’re our supposed leader?” laughed Die.

“I think he tries pretty hard to kill all of us,” remarked Toshiya. “He probably hates our guts.”

“I actually think the opposite,” said Shinya. “Kyo said Mavros tried to transfer his soul into a toad. I think he just has this sick obsession for torture and possibly collection.”

“I wouldn’t be surprised if Mavros admitted that,” said Die.

“How are your ribs, Kaoru?” asked Toshiya.

“The doctor said they healed completely. A month flew by really quickly,” said Kaoru.

“Speaking of which, Mavros hasn’t struck since Mari’s murder,” said Die.

“I’m feeling a bit uneasy about it. It’s like he’s got something really big planned for us,” said Kaoru.

“If he wants to hit it with his best shot, we will give our maximum counter. After all, we are Dir en grey. We like living on the edge,” Die smirked.

“No wonder you were the first target,” said Shinya.

“Why is that?” asked Die.

“Your name says it all.”

*****

Back at the apartment, Kaoru collapsed onto the floor. The weeks of inactivity drove him wild. He lit a cigarette and let it burn. The tendrils of smoke rose to the ceiling. Was waiting the only choice he had left? Kyo drifted into the living room and lingered over Kaoru.

“When did you start living here?” said Kaoru waving Kyo away.

“I don’t. I just barge into people’s houses without permission,” said Kyo.

“What do you want?”

“I want you to talk to me.”

Kaoru sat up and tapped the ashes into the glass ashtray on the  _ kotatsu _ table.

“So, what do you want to talk about?”

“There’s something strange about me.”

“Is that suppose to be a compliment,” Kaoru sniggered.

“I prefer the term enigmatic,” smiled Kyo.

“Ok. What’s the strangeness you find in yourself?”

“I talked to a bunch of spirits. Typically when you stay in this plane of existence, you go haywire eventually because you’re suppose to move on. I thought that the unfinished business with Mavros was what’s holding me back from moving on, but I can’t help but feel grounded.”

“Grounded to what?”

“I’m not sure. I feel like there’s still something on this Earth that I’m still attached to. I’ve been feeling it for a while and it hasn’t gone away.”

“Do you have other unfinished business? Like a debt. Family. Or a relationship.”

“I want to start another band.”

“Jesus, if you had all the time in the world you would start a ton of bands.”

Kyo cackled with laughter.

“You really think I would?”

“Would? I think you can do anything.”

“Gee, Kaoru. You think too highly of me.”

“I don’t know, Kyo. Maybe the urge to destroy Mavros is strong and your will beckons you to stay on Earth until the job is done.”

“Maybe. But recently I have this awful feeling brewing inside of me. I’m sensing something very terrible as if I’m turning into a monster. I think I might be at my limit.”

“No. You’re fine.”

“So you’re a spiritual expert now?”

“I just think if you are ready to crack, you would have cracked by now. Your senses have been pretty accurate so far despite the fact you can’t contact Mavros at all.”

“I don’t know why, but every time I warn you guys about stuff, I get glimpses of what’s going to happening. It’s like little electric shocks of visions. Since when do spirits get visions?”

“Maybe you’re an exception.”

Kaoru tapped the remaining ashes into the tray.

“Why couldn’t you sense Toshiya’s incident? I always wondered about that.”

“I found it strange too. Maybe it was because Colin was the one executing the crime. My so called visions are Mavros heavy. Yet I can never find out where Mavros is.”

“Do you sense anything for me?”

Kyo wrinkled his brow and cocked his head a bit.

“Anything?” Kaoru asked again.

“Nope. You’re safe for now.”

Kaoru let out a long sigh. “How do you expect me to sleep like this?”

“At least you can go to sleep. I can’t. I’m awake all the time.”

“Can’t you ... shut off or something?”

“I can keep reliving the memory of me getting killed.”

“Nevermind.”

*****

Kaoru found himself walking through the white mist. The mossy ground was shrouded, but his legs continued to carry him forward. The rumbling of the earth echoed like the calls of a humpback whale. He could see an old tree in the distance coming into view. Kaoru looked above his head. The sky was a bright sheet of porcelain, but there was no sign of a sun. A canopy of mist obscured it. Just then a loud screech echoed above him. Kaoru caught glimpse of a leathery winged creature. Where am I, he thought.

The ground shook. Kaoru could feel the tremors of something large walking beside him. Sometimes it was a pitter-patter of rustling feet. Later it was a herd of galloping hooves. The large tree was coming into view and the mist lagged behind. Kaoru admired the monstrous growth. The robust trunk was wrapped with dark, serpentine vines. Its majestic appearance towered over Kaoru. For some reason, he felt sad to see the tree encompassed by the intruding vines. It was as if they were suffocating it.

Kaoru reached to touch the bark. He felt a slight rumble from within like a heartbeat. The thickening vines were now coiling around the tree. As they squeezed the tree, it groaned like an old man fed up with the creaks and aches of his life. Even so, the leaves on the branches of the tree continued to sprout. The white mist came to envelope Kaoru and his eyes shot open.

The sun’s rays seeped through the glass. Kaoru had fallen asleep on the floor. His half-smoked cigarette from the night before was on the ledge of the ashtray. Kyo was no longer in the living room. Kaoru pulled himself up and straightened out his fried hair. What was that dream all about? A vision from beyond? It wasn’t nonsensical, but whatever deep message it contained, it wasn’t clear like the threat the band was facing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> More hard to follow messages in dreams. Can you recognize what song the dream was based off of? It was originally what I decided on for the soundtrack before I used Magayasou.


	15. Resolution

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> BGM: Sa Bir by Dir en grey

Haiiro no Ginka’s faded sign obscured under the setting sun. The owner turned on the lights of his store. He placed the standing sign in its place outside the sliding door. He shuffled back quickly into the store as the chilly breeze nipped the back of his neck.

Back in the kitchen, the owner wiped down his workspace counters. His fresh ingredients for the day were already nicely prepped for the evening. The boiling pork bone stock was simmering away on the stove. Today’s special features ramen seared pork belly pieces, crunchy bamboo shoots, and a handful of sweet scallions. He had a good shipment of chicken today.  _ Kara-age _ will be a special menu add-on for the night.

A figure peered through the glass window. The door slip open and shut with a loud click.

“ _ Irasshaimase _ !” welcomed the owner.

The familiar customer took the seat in the furthest table. Tonight he will be expecting three more of his friends. The owner fired up his grill and waited. Sure enough, the three customers walked in and joined at the furthest table.

Fumiko, the waitress, took their orders and relayed them to the owner. The owner quickly chopped the eggplant into large pieces. He placed them over the grill and painted them in a miso glaze. Next, he took the marinated chicken pieces and dunked them into the hot oil. The bubbling oil sizzled the meat. Meanwhile the  _ kara-age _ was frying, the owner prepared the dipping sauce. In a small glass bowl, he whisked together mayonnaise, two pinches of red chili flakes, minced ginger, and a teaspoon of freshly squeezed lemon juice.

While immersed in his work, the owner heard snippets of the conversation in his restaurant. The four men were heated over a debate of some sort.

“Why are you even bringing this up now of all times! We should be focused on the immediate problem in front of us!”

“I am!” said the wavy haired customer.

“Did you really think that running away will save the rest of us? Even if it did, it’s only temporary,” said the dark haired man angrily.

He folded his arms and leaned back in his seat.

“I know it’s temporary, but people around us are getting hurt and we have no way of explaining it. Even the cops are pinning us for something we didn’t do.”

“What about you? What do you think?” said the second dark haired man elbowing his ashy haired friend.

“I just think it’ll make things worse if we’re unprepared. We’ll be cut off from contact. I don’t think you’re telling us to leave on a whim.”

“Exactly. I’m not telling all of us to leave on a whim,” said the wavy haired man.

“Then what the hell are we doing?” complained the dark haired man.

“To others, we’ll say it’s a trip to get our minds off of things. I’ll even use healing as an excuse given that everyone has a pretty good idea what’s been going on with our lives.”

“You think? Those tabloids caught a hold of nearly everything and spreading crazy stuff like the plague.”

“Hey, just let him finish. You have a plan right, Leader?”

He exhaled out slowly.

“It is a plan of some sorts. I’m sick and tired of being stuck in defense mode and it’s about time we strike back. My intention is to use this trip to draw  _ him _ out. I know for sure that he somehow has a way of finding out exactly where we are.”

“We’re going up against a pro right here.”

“I gotta agree, we’re just musicians. I can only play bass.”

“But we managed to fend for ourselves each time. Great, why am I the one to start giving motivational pep talk.”

“Let’s just say hypothetically we successfully lure the guy out, what are we going to do? Call the police?”

“We are four people ... no, we actually we are five people against one guy. I’d like to see what he plans if all five of us tries to take him on at the same time.”

The food were arranged neatly on the glazed plates. The owner put his finishing touches before handing them to Fumiko. He watched as the plates ended up in front of the customers. They continued to argue despite Fumiko standing beside them.  _ What an odd group _ , he thought.  _ If you want to squabble, don’t do it over the food I prepared for you. Or perhaps it is best to talk everything over food. _

The three men continued to argue loudly, while the ashy blonde silently immersed himself with tea. He had no interest in the conversation and looked aloofly at the wall. The owner turned up the volume of the tiny television located in the corner of his store. It was already strange to have a television in the first place as no  _ izakaya _ carried televisions or even radios in their shop. He couldn’t decide in the past whether his shop should have been a full-on bar for listless old men or a cozy eatery for fortuitous customers.

It didn’t matter in the end. The owner could make his shop anything he’d like because he had such little customers to begin with. Every time these four customers appeared, it was definite that no one else would enter shop there on afterwards. For a business owner, they were bad luck.

Peering over the work table, the owner glanced over at his customers. They stopped talking and started eating. It looks like his food was working its charm. No one can resist deep fried  _ kara-age _ . He pridefully continued his work. It was then that an odd silence swept through the group.

The sudden change piqued the owner’s interest. He noticed that everyone’s eyes were peeled on the television.

“ _... has been found dead in the streets. Police have narrowed down FBI’s most wanted, Stephen Mavros, as the main suspect. CCTV footage shows Mavros entering the ... _ ”

“Damn it. He is preying on innocent people,” said the wavy haired guest. “At this point, everyone around us is getting wrapped up into our mess.”

“Is this why you requested to our manager a short vacation? To get him away from others and have him focus on us instead?” said the dark haired man.

“Indeed. I want us to go somewhere far. Somewhere he can’t exert his influence as strongly as he would like.”

“I think I have a good idea where,” said the ashy blonde.

The four huddled closer to the center of the table and whispered. The owner couldn’t catch a single word at this point and returned to his duty as a cook. He had a fish to fry for these customers. Even as a cook, he was a bit too prying in their affairs.

“So it’s been decided. We will settle for that place,” announced the wavy haired one.

Arms folded, the dark haired guest nodded his head. The other dark haired one spoke up.

“You think we have enough leverage over him? I still need to remind all of us that we are just musicians.”

“We are edgy musicians. I got slammed on a wall and still lived.”

“I need him to pay back all my lost sleep.”

The party stood up and exited the small izakaya. Fumiko cleared the tables. The owner rattled his brains over his guests’ conversation. The contents made very little sense, as usual.

“Fumiko, do you know what our guests are up to?”

“I can’t say I’m sure. Each time they come in, they seem to have some sort of problem,” replied Fumiko. “It looks like we won’t be seeing them for a while.”

“Whatever it is, I hope luck is on their side.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I purposely tried a different style of writing for this chapter. It can be pretty hard to tell who is speaking, but I left some clues in their speech.


	16. Vicissitudes of Progression

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> BGM: Ruten no Tou by Dir en grey

Kaoru was busy drifting off to a slumber. His lips slightly parted as he leaned toward the window. Toshiya gently nudged Die and pointed to Kaoru using his chin. The corners of Die’s mouth drew to a mischievous smile. In the meantime, Shinya, who sat adjacent to Kaoru, was snapping pictures of a finger puppet Cheburashka next to an  _ ekiben _ on his Iphone.

Toshiya laughed. “Shinya, take off your sunglasses. No one is going to recognize us here.”

“I refuse,” Shinya remarked.

Kaoru awoke from his sleep.

“Are we there yet?” he said groggily.

“Nope. We still got 15 minutes or so,” said Die glancing at the ticker tape above the aisle.

At the Hiraizumi stop, the band navigated their way out to the entrance. The sun was ready to dip into the horizon. Like Toshiya suggested, there was not a single soul that would recognize them. The streets were void of people and stores opened for business were sparse in proximity. Compared to Tokyo, Hiraizumi was much colder. Die’s nose was turning pink from the breeze. He his the rest of his face snug under a gray scarf. 

“Ok. Where is the  _ ryokan _ ? Lead the way,” said Die muffled under the scarf and hands dug into his pockets.

Kaoru drew a long breath and cleared his throat. He whipped out his phone to check his map.

“It shouldn’t be too far according to this, but it will be a lot of walking,” he said.

After much misdirection and unnecessary turns, the reached the modest  _ ryokan _ . Two maple trees and a string of dried mugwort guarded the entrance. At the front desk, an old man with gray whiskers greeted them.

“Welcome, my name is Genma. I’ll be your host and show you to your room. You are the only guests at my  _ ryokan _ .”

He led them through the narrow hallway and slid open the paper doors.

The floor was covered entirely in green ochre tatami. A low beechwood table and four floor chairs were arranged in the center of the room. Hanging on the wall was a long scroll of calligraphy. Beneath the scroll was a twisted old tree branch modified for display. The glass windows showed the view of late autumn foliage waning in the blue night. A small drawer by the window had two more guest chairs resting side by side.

“I’ll leave you to get settled. Dinner will be served promptly at 7pm.”

Toshiya opened one of the sliding doors. Inside were hangers and compartments to leave their bags. He then opened another door. The  _ futon _ were folded and stacked atop each other next to fresh yukata.

“This place is pretty neat for a simple  _ ryokan _ ,” Toshiya commented. “Is this all coming out of our pockets?”

“Inoue-san said our company will cover it. I just wish they weren’t so stingy,” said Kaoru. “We only have a week here for  _ a work-related excursion _ .”

“We deserve a vacation,” said Die. “I want to do some hiking.”

“We’re not far from a lot of things. If we take the JR line, we can get to the famed Chuson-ji Temple. Take another local train and we can reach Geibikei Gorge. Do some more traveling back at Hiraizumi station, there should be soba restaurants,” said Shinta as he read aloud from a tourist pamphlet.

“I want to try their  _ wanko soba _ . You know the type served Hidehira-style that they show on TV?” said Toshiya.

“I’m up for it. Let’s do that tomorrow,” said Die with eyes lighting up.

“Iwate is famous for their Maezawa beef, your favorite thing, Die,” said Shinya. “And alcohol, your other favorite.”

“Shin-chan, don’t label me an alcoholic.”

“Kaoru, you wanna join us tomorrow?” asked Toshiya.

“Nah. Leave this old man to do his old man things,” laughed Kaoru.

Dinner was served in their room. Genma opened the sliding door and brought in the stacked trays. Each tray had several lacquered bowls painted in red and gold. Under the lid of one bowl was piping hot miso soup. In another bowl was stewed vegetables cut in the shape of sakura and another with greens neatly trimmed. A more oblong plate had stewed beef and rice. Each tray had a complimentary dish of pickles. It was truly a feast for the eyes and stomach. Genma quietly bowed and exited the room.

Die beamed at his meal.

“Why are you looking so happy?” asked Toshiya.

“There’s beef. I love beef,” Die replied. 

“What are you, some foodie?” laughed Toshiya.

“You know steak is life to me,” smiled Die.

The slight breeze rustled the maple trees in the garden. Toshiya drew the curtains shielding the glowing lawn lights. Shinya sat cross legged on his futon scrolling through his phone.

“Whacha doin’ Shin-chan?” said Die peering over Shinya’s shoulder.

“Nothing,” Shinya said absent-mindedly.

“Get some sleep, Die. You don’t want those eyebags of yours to multiply,” said kaoru.

“Tch! You barely sleep too,” said Die.

“And I still look good for my age,” smirked Kaoru.

Toshiya’s high pitched snigger rang in the room. Shinya hid his curving lips with his hand.

“Alright, Leader-san said it’s bedtime. Lights out!” said Die.

In the enveloping darkness, Kaoru walked alone. He saw the pentagram inscribed within a circle before him on the ground. Following the lines were orange flames bursting from below. A rhythmic chanting and sound of sleigh bells reverberated. Kaoru turned to see the source of the sounds. There was nothing, but looming darkness. With his eyes tracing back to the flaming circle, Kyo now stood within it. The fire was consuming him yet he did not utter a single cry.

“Kyo!” Kaoru cried out.

“The deed has been done,” said Kyo.

Kaoru turned behind to see Kyo face to face with him. He was unscathed and no longer in flames. The pentagram from before disappeared.

“Beware of the mountain. When the darkness comes to prey on the helpless, look for the sleeping rock,” echoed Kyo’s voice.

“What’s that suppose to mean!” Kaoru shouted.

He didn’t mean to shout at Kyo, but he couldn’t control his unstable emotions at the moment. 

     Kyo’s form had dissipated in front of Kaoru’s eyes. Kaoru then heard a familiar laugh echoing from far away.

“I want to try their  _ wanko soba _ . You know the type served Hidehira-style that they show on TV?” said Toshiya.

““I’m up for it. Let’s do that tomorrow,” said Die.

“Kaoru, you wanna join us tomorrow?” asked Toshiya.

“There’s stuff we got to do here! Not play!” Kaoru raised his voice.

“Tch! You’re no fun,” said Toshiya.

“Leave this crusty old man alone to do his old man things,” Die said coldly.

     Kaoru noticed that he was no longer in the dark, but in a club with a lot of people. Almost too much people to his liking. The strange activities that he saw struck him as bizarre to see in a club setting. There was a gigantic wheel that people were spinning though it appeared that it was not for prizes. Some players had the look of utter despair when the wheel landed on certain pictures. Kaoru couldn’t quite make out the pictures from a distance. At a high table were three older women in white lounge dresses sipping glasses of martinis. Strangely enough, a mess of string covered their table.

     Looking around again, Kaoru spotted Toshiya drinking and talking to some stranger next to him. Beside Toshiya was Die munching on a bucket of red chili peppers as if it were popcorn. Shinya sat on the lounge chair wearing an over-sized Cheburashka hat unwrapping candy.

“What are you doing here? We need to go,” Kaoru ordered sharply.

Of course, he had no idea where to go or what to do except that he desperately wanted to leave. Toshiya completely ignored Kaoru’s words and carried on with his own conversation. Die continued to eat his chili peppers. Kaoru grabbed the bucket, but Die withdrew quickly and hugged the bucket close to him.

“It’s mine! Get your own!” he said.

“I don’t want your chili peppers. Why are you eating them in the first place?”

“I have to finish them or else someone else will eat them instead.”

Annoyed at the ridiculous response, Kaoru walked to Shinya who was still busy unwrapping candy. The little mountain of wrappers littered the ground. Kaoru didn’t even need to start and Shinya spoke instead.

“Cheburashka needs them. I’m very busy.”

Convinced that his band was a bunch of lunatics, Kaoru stormed off. The club was now empty. The band was gone and so were the rest of the previous guests. In his hand were three paper dolls slowly staining with black ink. Kaoru had no idea where they had come from. From the corner of his eye, he saw an exit that had not appeared before. He was not sure why, but he had the urge to run. 

Kaoru’s legs were growing increasingly heavy with every stride. The tinkling melody of “Pop Goes the Weasel” played faintly in the background. Something about the childhood song now felt worrisome. At the sound of “pop”, Kaoru tripped over his own step and tumbled down. He was tumbling down a staircase that had not been there before. Mavros stood at the very bottom with a twisted grin and a butcher knife. When Mavros came into close view, the knife dangled over Kaoru’s face only a few inches away. At that very moment, he woke up.

Everyone was snoozing away. It was still dark in the room. Kaoru lifted his head to take a peek at everyone. Die kicked away most of his blankets and occupied a portion of Toshiya’s futon. It calmed Kaoru down knowing there wasn’t a bucket of chili peppers next to Die. Still, the unsettling image of Mavros and Kyo’s strange warning did not sit well for the rest of the night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm back from my hiatus. In this chapter I introduced a new character and an entirely new setting from Tokyo to Hiraizumi. What do you think of Kaoru's strange dream? Do things even make sense or are they suppose to make sense in the first place?


	17. Brothers in Bond, Not in Blood

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> BGM: Vanitas by Dir en grey

“Are you sure you don’t want to come?” said Toshiya hoping to change Kaoru’s mind.

“Positive,” answered Kaoru. “You guys go have fun. I’m too tired to be happy.”

“We can bring some souvenirs if you want,” said Die.

“Just don’t buy any chili peppers,” said Kaoru.

“Chili peppers? Why would I do that? Iwate’s not even known for chili peppers,” said Die.

“Kaoru, I think you’re going insane staying cooped up in a room. Go take a breather with us and get your mind off of things. Even Shinya is coming with us,” said Toshiya.

“It’s fine, guys. You guys deserve some time off. Just make sure you all come back for dinner,” said Kaoru.

“Ok Dad,” teased Toshiya.

The three walked to the nearest train station to take the JR line. The air controlled doors let out a small hiss. The train was fairly empty when they boarded. Only the soft hum of the moving vehicle accompanied on their journey.

“So where are we off to first,” asked Toshiya.

“I think we should check out Chuson-ji Temple. There’s a lot of other things nearby to check out within walking distance,” suggested Die.

“Do you think we will have time to check out Motsu-ji Temple as well?” said Toshiya.

“It depends on how long we will stay at Chuson-ji Temple. What do you think, Shin-chan?” said Die.

“I’m only here for the limited edition Cheburashka goods,” said Shinya.

At Chuson-ji Temple, the air was crisp. Unlike the densely populated Tokyo, it was vast in emptiness. The serene waters of the famed garden were perfectly still mirroring the autumn trees across the temple. In the distant mountains, there were echoes of the cackling cries of birds. With the sparse amount of tourists on the temple grounds, one’s breathing would be in sync with the relaxing rhythm of nature. The sound of crunching gravel under the walking feet came to a halt when met with the ringing of the ancient temple bell. Somber and ominous, the empowering sound rang in the air. The three musicians stood still and absorbed the atmosphere. 

“You know, I think this is more of Kyo’s kind of thing,” said Die.

Indeed, Kyo would have enjoyed it the most. A proud resident of his hometown, Kyoto temples are something not to be missed. The Golden Hall was a dazzling spectacle of venerable Buddhas lined up one against each other. The calm faces each held a peaceful smile and their slender hands held graceful gestures. Even in the dim lighting, the Buddhas shone radiantly. Under careful inspection, the details of the Golden Hall came to life. Every bit of floor, ceiling, and wall was covered in gold leaf. The spectacular intricacies were befitting of a national treasure from the the patterns on the thick pillars to the golden peacocks below the Buddhas.

After touring the museum and noh theater, the band took transit to the Takadachi Gikeido. The stone steps led them to the stone plaque and memorial of Minamoto no Yoshitsune.

“We have one seriously cultured tour today,” said Toshiya as he panted up the steps.

The tiny shrine stood plainly among the trees. 

“At least we got a nice view,” Die pointed out.

Out in the distance was the Kitakami River and its dark mountains swallowed in mist.

“Poor Yoshitsune,” said Shinya as he read the plaque. “To be betrayed by the local Fujiwara lord right where he thought he would be safest here.”

“Nevermind the depressing history. We should focus on something else than betrayal and death,” said Toshiya. “We can still make it in time to visit Geibikei Gorge.”

“I don’t know. Isn’t it kind of far from here? We don’t have too much time left for today,” said Die.

Shinya pulled out the map. “If we take this train, we should be able to make it there and back at the inn before nightfall.”

“Is it worth visiting?” asked Die.

“You get to throw special stones,” said Toshiya.

“Alright, I’m in,” said Die.

Tall and jagged, the gray rocks of the gorge towered majestically over them as they sat in the raft. Carried by the voice of their rower, the raft drifted placidly over the shallow waters. When it finally hit shore, Die was the first to leap off. Shinya smiled seeing that the guitarist was genuinely happy since the terrible ordeal. Toshiya was also excited to take off after Die.

A little old lady sat by a wooden box. In the box were wooden pieces carved with kanji characters.

“So where do I get to throw stuff?” asked Die.

“It’s a marketing gimmick here. If you get to throw one of your stones into that large hole across the water, your wish will come true,” explained Toshiya.

“Hmm. Let’s see what stones they got,” said Die.

“You just want to show off your throwing skills. I bet you can’t even make it across the waters,” teased Toshiya.

Die smirked. “Oh yeah? Let’s have a contest then.” 

“I’m joining too,” said Shinya.

Toshiya smiled. “I didn’t expect you, too.” 

“Don’t underestimate these muscles,” said Shinya pointing at his thin arms.

Among the many different stones, Die picked “luck” for all five of his. Toshiya picked 3 “luck” stones and two “prosperity” stones. Shinya who spent the most time thinking picked “luck”, “prosperity”, “longevity”, “bonds”, and “love”.

“Is Shin-chan looking for some love in his life?” sniggered Die.

“Shut up, Die. I saw you staring at those ‘love’ stones for a long time,” defended Shinya.

“What!” said Die who was now a bit flustered. “That wasn’t me. It was Toshiya.”

“Eh?!” said Toshiya in surprise. “Don’t blame it on me. Just admit it that you were looking for love in your life too.”

Die puffed out his cheeks just like a little child would. He gripped his stones tightly and blurted. “I’m going first!” With all his might, he flung the wooden piece across the water. To his dismay, the piece hit the stone wall and fell into the river with a kerplunk.

“That one’s just a warmup.”

Toshiya raised his eyebrows and smiled. Stone by stone, they each sank to the bottom of the river. So much for good luck.

“Watch and learn from someone who actually has skills,” said Toshiya.

He flexed his biceps and threw the first stone. It hit the wall and met its fate in the river. By the very end, Toshiya’s stones also joined Die’s at the very bottom of the river.

“So much for luck and prosperity,” said Toshiya shrugging his shoulders.

“All hope rests on you, Shin-chan, except I don’t have much faith in you as well,” said Die.

“I will definitely get one in. mark my words,” said Shinya.

In Shinya’s palm were five different for five different goals. Shinya decided to throw “prosperity” first. In a swift motion, he plunged the stone forward. To everyone’s disappointment, the projectile flew straight into the water. Shinya wrinkled his brow a bit and continued to throw “love” and “luck”. They, too, went headfirst into the waters. 

“Oh my God, where were you aiming?” Die scoffed.

“Shut up and let me concentrate,” said Shinya.

The fourth stone hit the wall close to the hole.

“Maybe fifth time’s a charm,” said Toshiya.

Shinya rubbed his hands together and put all focus into his arm. The wind began to pick up and shake the trees on the rocky cliffs. The red foliage sprinkled onto the clear waters.

Both Toshiya and Die held their breaths in anticipation. It was only a silly contest, but the last two months of vexing trials put their spirits to test. Shinya drew his right arm backwards and pitched the stone into the hole. The hollow sound of a pebble hitting the cave brought Toshiya and Die to life. They cheered loudly surprising the old lady by the box. In that instant, they had realized that all their hopes on a single pebble came so quickly and insignificantly.

“Did it really go in?” asked Die.

“I think it did,” said Shinya in disbelief.

“Are you sure?” asked Toshiya.

“I didn’t see it plop into the waters. You two were watching as well,” said Shinya.

“Shin-chan, you did it!” said Die. He clapped his arms around Shinya’s neck.

Toshiya ruffled Shinya’s long hair. “So what was the last stone carved with?”

“It was ‘bonds’,” replied Shinya.

“Eehh. You should save the best for last,” Die pouted.

“What’s the best in your humble opinion,” Shinya said sarcastically.

“Luck, of course,” said Die.

“Well I think bonds isn’t so bad. We may terrible luck, but bonds is still keeping us together,” said Toshiya.

“If you put it optimistically, I guess bonds is a good choice. I still wish it was ‘luck’ though,” said Die. 

“What do you think Kaoru would pick?” Toshiya wondered aloud.

“Without a doubt, he’d pick ‘love’ for all five of them,” said Die.

Their roaring laughter echoed in the gorge as the day was came to a close.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's been too depressing for the guys. Time to give them a good day. If you ever go to Japan for sightseeing, where would you go? Or perhaps you have a locale you would like to recommend.


	18. Premonition

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> BGM: Unraveling by Dir en grey

To be frank, Kaoru was still disturbed from his night before. The indescribable feeling of terror was haunting him like a leech latched onto your skin. Indiscernible meaning, cryptic verses, and odd symbols added to the headache. Kaoru couldn’t shake off the helplessness he felt from being unable to decipher the dream. Having Mavros’ face loom over him with a weapon is frightening enough. Kaoru scarcely touched his breakfast of rice, fish, and miso soup.

Genma came in the room to collect the empty plates.

“Is the food not to your liking?” he asked gently.

“Oh no, it’s nothing of that sort. I have a lot on my mind. That’s all,” said Kaoru.

Gema gave a smile. “Aah. Is that so? You should come outside later. We have beautiful weather today albeit a little chilly.”

The sliding doors were shut leaving Kaoru alone in his room. He peered outside the windows to see a clear sky. The red maple stood beautifully under the sun.

Making his way down the empty hallway, Kaoru observed the lounge. The front desk was plain save for a small  _ maneki neko _ . He walked out the front door to explore the  _ ryokan  _ in detail. Dried mugwort was hung on either side of the doorways. The  _ ryokan  _ sign had worn with age. A stone paved walkway circled the establishment. Following the walkway, Kaoru came across a patio. Not so far away behind some trimmed hedges was a toolshed. The heavy lock was fastened with a chain.  _ Strange to see a locked door _ , thought Kaoru.

The patio had more maple trees grown. The circling stone fixtures raised from the ground acted as seats. Kaoru picked a spot furthest from where the tree was grown. He could see the room where he was staying in from this distance. The leaves abundantly fell on the ground covering it like a fiery mosaic. At this moment, Genma appeared with a towel around his neck and a tray in his hands.

“There’s nothing like a hot cup of tea after some heard work, Do you mind me sharing a  seat beside you?” said Genma.

Kaoru smiled and gestures to the empty spot next to him. Genma placed the tray down with two cups and a teapot.

He poured a cup for Kaoru. “How do you like Hiraizumi so far? You folks are from the city am I correct?”

“We’re from Tokyo. My friends have already headed out to enjoy their vacation.”

Kaoru sipped his tea and tucked his arms tightly after placing down the tea cup. He shivered a bit under his black wool jacket. He noticed that Genma wore significantly less and didn’t tremble a single bit.

“It’s very quiet here,” noted Kaoru.

“Not much people live here locally anymore. It became a haven for tourists ages ago. The prefectural government and tourism board aided us in the transformation. Say, have your friends decided to visit one of our temples? Chuson-ji is worth a visit,” suggested Genma.

“I think it may be on their list of places,” answered Kaoru.

“If you are interested in hiking, I recommend that mountain over there.” Genma pointed to the black shape behind the mist in the distance.

“In the days of the old, the mountain was to be feared. No one dared to go up there to hunt or to gather firewood.”

“Why was that?” asked Kaoru.

“There lived a terrible demon of legend that ate humans. A rasetsu. The mountain was his stronghold. Of course this was just a story to keep children well behaved,” Genma laughed.

To his relief, Kaoru let out a sigh.

“It had been rumored that a small shrine was built deep in the mountains to horo the mountain god. Priests would trek up the mountain to perform rituals to pray for rain and bountiful harvests. I have never gone far enough to confirm myself. These old legs of mine can’t go very far anymore,” said Genma.

“If there was a mountain god to worship, then why do you hang mugwort outside your inn?” asked Kaoru.

“Aah! So you noticed,” said Genma now excited. “It is a very old tradition dating back further than the Edo period. Mugwort has been used to ward off evil and so we hang it on our doorways to protect ourselves. You won’t see a lot of places practicing it anymore. I’ll even bet not a lot of people even know about its origins.

Remember the rasetsu I talked about earlier? The people prayed to the heavens for divine intervention on the demon. As the story goes, a god did indeed descend to the mountain. The demon was defeated and the god became known as the mountain god. The demon now sealed had vowed to break free to take revenge on the people. Thus people started warding their houses in fear of the demon returning to plague them.

As you can see, the practice has lost its original meaning as no one associates the mountain with demons and gods. I only do it to continue the authenticity of an old  _ ryokan _ as it makes for good storytelling.”

“Have you lived here all this time?”

“This  _ ryokan  _ is my father’s as it was his father’s. I intend to stay here until the end. It is my only home. My children have moved out to the cities.”

“Have you by any chance heard of something … called a sleeping rock?”

Genma faltered a bit. “No, as far as I know I’ve never heard such a thing.”

“Oh. Forget that I asked then.”

“Aah. I need to prep other things. I’ll leave you in this beautiful garden to think.” Genma took his leave.

The old man’s shoes scratched against the stone walkway. Slowly they disappeared back into the inn. The slight fragrance of grass wove into the cool air. Kaoru reached for the cigarettes in his breast pocket.

“I suggest that you don’t do that.”

Kyo sat to the left of Kaoru where Genma last sat. Kaoru let out a sigh of defeat and clasped his hands on his lap.

“What are you doing here? I don’t remember telling you where we were leaving for,” said Kaoru.

“I followed you guys just to make sure everyone is safe,” said Kyo.

“It’s really safe here. No one even recognizes us.”

“That’s good. I feel even more at peace here than in Tokyo. There’s something more purifying here. Yet … I still feel unease."

     “Is it these visions you told me about before?”

“Yes. I still get visions, little flashes of memory that I’m unsure of whether they happened or not. I can’t help, but feel they’re warning me about something.”

The familiar pit of despair stirred uncomfortably in Kaoru’s stomach.

Kyo continued. “I think something bad is being raised, but I don’t know what or how Mavros is related to this.”

Kaoru reluctantly recalled the dream he had the night before. Kyo took note of the minor shifts of expression on Kaoru’s face. 

“Do you think you can tell me exactly what you saw?” asked Kaoru.

“I can’t exactly describe it, but I can show you,” said Kyo.

Kyo placed his index finger on kaoru’s forehead. Kaoru felt himself transported to a space beyond time. In an instant, the garden and maple trees burned away leaving a brightly lit American diner against the night backdrop. The giant bus was coming into view carried by legs that were not his own. Kaoru then realized that this was not him, but rather Kyo’s memory.

Kyo was reaching for the handle to climb up the stairs. He then heard a rustle in the bushes by the parking lot. At the very far end, a large black mist darker than the night itself was emerging. Kaoru could feel a tightening around his chest and a sickening sense of fear. He felt as if he had been dumped forcefully into arctic waters. The cloud came closer and closer. Before Kyo could run, it had already consumed him.

Fast forward into another memory, Kaoru felt himself being pushed into another space. Like a blender, he felt a whole rush of emotions. It was no wonder that Kyo could never quite explain how he made it to Japan alone. Kaoru then saw himself in a study with dimly lit candles. Though hazy, he could make out the piles of hardbound books strewn across a large table. Some were weathered, its yellow pages stained with unknown fluids. On another table were a menagerie of strange metal instruments, knives, and glass vessels. The walls were comprised of shelves full of apothecary ingredients, mostly glass jars with odd specimens marinating in liquids. A live toad was trapped in its little cage of glass.

On the third table was something large bound in a dirty cloth. Kaoru felt an urge to walk closer to the mysterious object. As soon as he put forth his first step, the heavy doors to the study opened. A cloaked figure stormed in. The heavy doors shut with a booming echo. Kaoru tried to take a peek under the hood, but saw nothing. The figure seemed to take no notice of Kaoru’s appearance in the study.

The cloaked figure approached the table withe the wrapped cloth. The sinking pit of despair in Kaoru’s stomach had returned.

“Tonight the deed will be done.”

Kaoru could see the eyes of malice as the figure removed the hood of the cloak. The man they had been fighting was standing in front of him. He knew very well what the cloth was hiding.

Kaoru cried out. “No! Stop it!”

The man they knew as Mavros held a silver dagger above the cloth. The bundle moved a bit. Kaoru ran forward to interrupt. He found himself passing through the table and past Mavros. The dagger dove deep into the cloth. Kaoru found no voice in his throat to scream. He watched as the blood began to soak through the cloth. The memory was now burning away at its edges. The study was disappearing in flames.

Kaoru felt the intense pain in his chest. He gripped his chest tightly gasping for air plummeting to the ground. Flashes of imagery were filling his eyes again. He saw himself in Die’s apartment strangling Die to the ground with red scaly hands. Very quickly the memory warped into Shinya’s face of terror looking at Kaoru. Shinya’s face then shifted into Toshiya looking at himself in a mirror. Kaoru felt himself swirl as he watched himself hurl blood to the bathroom floor.

The flames returned to engulf the bathroom and Toshiya’s body. Kaoru saw Mavros, now uncloaked, performing a show on a table. Inside a large glass jar, he first dropped the toad. It gave a loud croak before meeting with a red newt. The crimson animal scuttled up the slippery glass. A black snake with yellow rings across its body was placed inside along with a centipede and a scorpion. Mavros poured in a vial of blood before securing the top of the glass jar. The five creatures struggled furiously inside the clear confinement. 

First the toad attacked the newt. The centipede crawled over the snake to get closer to the newt. Next the black scorpion put forth it stinger to administer the toad its lethal shot. Though unable to move freely, the coiling snake consumed the toad in one gulp. The angry pincers of the centipede pierced through the tough and scaly hide. Even the king of poisons was defeated. 

     Mavros was now emptying the contents of the glass jar which had now condensed to a puddle of blood and poison into a large bowl. He chanted in a strange language while adding more ingredients to it. Kaoru walked a little bit closer while still maintaining distance from Mavros. To his horror, he saw the pictures of him and the other four members of Dir en grey. Their photos had been inscribed with strange symbols and arranged with dried herbs and bones. Mavros, still chanting, now poured the thick contents of the bowl over the photos before lighting it on fire. He laughed manically as the fire burned.

     “How do you like it now Kyo? I’m going to make a surprise for you and your friends.”

Mavros picked up the body in bound cloth and dumped it into a long box. The tattooed arm dangled out from being carelessly thrown. He shoved the arm forcefully into the box and fixed the lid on top. Kyo then appeared beside him.

“How dare you do this!” he screamed.

“Still got a lot of spunk in you even after death. No worries. Your band will end up just like you.”

With a quick wave of a hand, Kyo’s image was banished from the room.

The following images were now flashing before Kaoru’s eyes painfully like being pricked with needles. He watched himself land back in the dark alleyway of the club. His right hand drew a dagger and slit itself across Mari’s throat letting the warm blood splatter onto his face. Then Kaoru saw his hands covered with thick mesh gloves troweling through the dirt. Before leaving, he placed a potted plant on the windowsill. The scene then dissolved to a hand holding a small glass bottle. The bottle stopper was plucked open and tipped to the ground releasing a small red newt. It very quickly crawled through the blades of grass and disappeared into the darkness. Kaoru could hear a voice somewhere around him. He couldn’t tell if it was behind him or in front of him.  _ The deed has been done. The deed has been done.  _ The words then began to read itself aloud. 

_“Lazarus, come out!”_ _The dead man came out, his hands and feet wrapped with strips of linen, and a cloth around his face._

It was becoming clear to Kaoru. It was no failed experiment. Kyo had been dead from the very beginning. His visions were Mavros’ thoughts and actions and they all had succeeded in coming true. The question still remained. How does Kyo receive these so called visions? What was that last bit with Lazarus? 

Kaoru’s eyelids fluttered open. The large maple tree had occupied his field of view. He found himself sprawled on the ground with maple leaves all over his jacket. Kyo was already gone. Kaoru patted the foliage off and stood up. His head was now a whirlwind of confusion. The vision chasing had drained him most of his body’s energy. Kaoru needed to tell everyone what he had just saw.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For those unfamiliar with Lazarus, it's one of the stories in the Bible. The verse used was John 11:44 where Jesus calls Lazarus from his grave. I used this reference for a particular reason because it will tie in with future events of the story.


	19. Cold Blooded

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> BGM: Reiketsu Nariseba by Dir en grey

Kaoru could hear the herd of footsteps stampede the wooden floor. The laughter of his band mates rang behind the sliding door. Die was the first to open the bamboo doors.

He sung in a teasing voice. “Lea—der-san!”

Toshiya plopped a plastic bag chock full of souvenirs as promised onto the low table. A Cheburashka keychain rolled out.

“Wait. That’s mine,” said Shinya. He quickly snatched it from the table.

“For the record, there were no chili peppers,” said Die. “Even though I do want to have some spicy food today.”

“Kaoru, what’s wrong?” asked Toshiya.

Being the first one to sense the graveness of expression, Toshiya knelt down to ground level where Kaoru sat cross-legged. 

“I’m afraid I’m the bearer of bad news.”

Kaoru spent an hour explaining the visions he and Kyo had witnessed.

“Things just get stranger and stranger,” said Toshiya.

“There’s no point in looking into these visions. So far they only show bits and pieces of Mavros’ thoughts. Plus they already happened so far,” said Die.

“The problem now is how to interpret these bits and pieces in time. Don’t forget that our lives are still on the line,” said Kaoru. “It’s not just past memories that I saw. There were also warnings and cryptic messages. Not to mention that dream from last night.”

“Dream? What dream?” asked Die.

“That’s right. I didn’t tell you guys yet,” said Kaoru.

“Why didn’t tell us before?” said Toshiya anxiously.

“I didn’t want to ruin your day out. It would have killed the mood,” said Kaoru.

“So while we were out, you were mulling on some serious crap. Not cool, man,” said Die. “You should have told us.”

“I appreciate the sentiment. What’s important is that we get a headstart,” said Kaoru.

“I’m too tired to function now. We’ll deal with it tomorrow,” said Die.

*****

“Wake up, sleepy head.” Shinya jabbed the pile of blankets.

A lazy groan came from under the comforter.

“Breakfast is going to be here soon,” said Shinya.

The blankets only moved slightly.

“He’s not moving,” Shinya said to Kaoru.

“Genma’s pretty late today. He said he would be here by now,” said Kaoru. “He’s giving you a chance to get ready.”

“Leave me alone,” said the muffled voice.

“This should do the trick.”

Toshiya forcefully pulled the comforter away from the futon exposing Die. He laid curled to the side and let out a yelp.

“It’s cold! Give me back my blanket!” he said.

“Get up already,” said Toshiya.

Late, but as promised, a hearty breakfast was served. Die came out of the bathroom brushing his hair. He tossed the hairbrush on the dresser and took his seat.

“Where are we going today?” asked Die.

“I don’t know,” said Toshiya glancing at the rest of the group.

“I think I’ll walk around the neighborhood,” said Kaoru.

“So the old man’s finally going to leave his cave,” teased Die.

“I’ll go with you,” Shinya volunteered.

“But before I go explore, I need to go to the convenience store first,” said Kaoru.

“Wait in the lobby for us?” said Toshiya.

Down in the lobby, Shinya played with the  _ maneki neko _ by the front desk. He lightly pulled the spring coiled arm with his index finger and watched it rebound. The cat’s arm continuously pawed at the empty air.

“What’s taking him so long to buy a pack of cigarettes?” said Die. 

“Maybe he can’t find his favorite brand,” suggested Toshiya.

“If he quit like the rest of us we wouldn’t have to wait,” said Die.

“The man runs on nicotine like a car runs on gasoline,” said Toshiya.

“I can’t afford to wait for him forever,” Die grumbled.

Suddenly, a draft entered the room. Shinya stopped paying attention to the  _ maneki neko  _ and turned to the door. It had not budged and Kaoru had not walked in. The room temperature dropped rapidly losing all warmth it had before. Everyone’s breath became visible and the chills were snaking down their backs.

“Kyo,” said Die in surprise.

Shinya turned to see that the front desk was now occupied by a silent friend. Kyo looked more translucent than usual, almost like ice. His stern complexion was paler and stiffer.

“Kaoru’s in danger, You must go now,” said Kyo.

His body disappeared and reappeared again at the entrance. He glided through the closed door. Very quickly everyone followed suit.

Upon reaching the outdoors, Kyo had disappeared.

“Over there!” 

Toshiya pointed at the broken tall grass. Kyo stood among the dried grass facing them and pointed to the black mountains behind him.

“Follow the trail,” he said and disappeared. 

“What trail!” shouted Die.

“This trail,” said Shinya.

He swept back the tall grass revealing drops of blood.

“He couldn’t have gone far. We can still catch up,” said Toshiya.

Tracking the smeared blood on plants and trampled dirt, the trail had led them to the foot of the mountain. The inn was far from visible. The blood trail was leading up the jagged steps into the dark trees.

“I don’t like this, but what choice do I have,” said Die.

Together the three trekked up the mountain. The path was difficult to maneuver through as the little pebbles and rocks were in the way. They walked past old wrangling trees with branches that twisted with each other. Only the sound of crunching leaves accompanied their ears.

     The blood was growing increasingly apparent. It was splattered on trunks as if someone had thrown a body against it. The snapped twigs and bent grass presented an even clearer direction. The group quickened their pace. Shinya lagged behind to look at his phone. 

“Hurry up, Shinya!” said Die. “Now’s not the time to check Instagram.” 

“I wanted to call the police, but there’s no signal in the mountains. It will take forever to search the mountains alone,” explained Shinya.

“It’s too late to go back and call. We need more manpower here. We are dealing with Mavros after all,” said Toshiya.

Die stopped so abruptly that Toshiya and Shinya had almost run into him. The trail had led them to the mangled corpse of a mountain dog. 

“What’s going on here,” Die said in disbelief.

Further from the corpse was a large circle drawn in more blood with strange symbols drawn in the dirt. They heard a rustle from the bushes. Immediately everyone’s eyes were alerted with attention. No movement came afterwards leaving the group anxious. Then slowly Kyo emerged from the dark trees. He walked through the ritual circle disrupting the writing on the ground and closer to the group.

“Kyo, where’s Kaoru?” asked Toshiya.

Kyo remained silent studying the three of them. 

“Kyo, I’m asking you. Where is Kaoru?” Toshiya repeated.

He took a few steps forward until he felt Die’s hand fiercely gripping his biceps, constricting his blood flow. Shinya took notice and stepped backwards. He pointed at the sunken dirt.

“Spirits don’t make footsteps,” said Die.

Kyo opened his mouth disclosing his teeth, now sharp and craggier than before, and let out an inhuman snarl. 

“Run!” Die screams.

Without further ado, the group was escaping the ritual circle. Shinya was the furthest ahead. He knew deep down that the Kyo that stood before him was not Kyo. It was an image meant to deceive. He could hear the heavy panting of a beast coming from behind him.  _ Why did it have to be him?  _ Die and Toshiya were frantically running beside Shinya never looking back. Tree after tree, they continued to run and Kyo continued to pursue without rest. Just then they saw Kyo zip past the both of them and hurled himself onto Shinya.  The minute Kyo pummeled Shinya to the ground, they started tumbling downward and disappeared over the ledge.

“Shinya!” Die and Toshiya shouted.

Tripping over the ledge, the both of them fell and also began tumbling down the steep mountain. The twigs and stones did not make the journey any more comfortable.

Kyo latched himself onto Shinya by digging his sharp nails into Shinya’s skin. Despite being smaller in size, his strength was like that of a gargantuan fiend. Shinya jabbed his elbow into Kyo’s abdomen. It was like using a stuffed animal to retaliate against a heavyweight champion. Seeing that it had no effect, Shinya threw himself down the slope hoping that gravity would shake Kyo off. Finally, he slammed Kyo onto a slab of rock. Kyo’s claws had torn off a huge portion of Shinya’s coat leaving his shoulder bare with lacerations and blood. Clutching the stinging wound, he stumbled backwards away from Kyo.

Sliding down the mountain, Die and Toshiya made their way to Shinya. Die rushed over and pulled Shinya up to his feet while Toshiya picked up a thick tree branch from the ground. Kyo licks the blood off his hands and shifts his gaze from Shinya to Die. In a flash, he disappeared and reappears in front of Die. Die could feel his heart skip a beat. The sound of fabric tearing and blood wetting the dry leaves stained the air. Kyo had drawn his nails across Die’s chest severing even his clunky silver chain.

Die stumbles off balance for a few steps. He dug his heel deep into the hard ground and threw a punch at Kyo’s face. The wound from his chest stung greatly and provoked more blood to wet the ground. Kyo only let out a snarl and dug his fangs into Die’s neck. Die swerves his body to pull Kyo off. Just then a loud whack hit Kyo’s back. The tree branch snaps in half leaving woody fibers at its end. Kyo releases his fangs from Die’s neck drawing a bit of blood. He turns to face Toshiya who drops the stubby remains of a tree branch. Kyo made a high jump and buried his fangs into Toshiya’s neck instead. Toshiya let out an agonizing cry. In a fury, he drove himself into a nearby tree. Kyo finally let go, but ripped a chunk of flesh off Toshiya’s neck. The blood overflowed from the gaping wound. Toshiya quickly covered it with his hand.

A tree branch now stood out from Kyo’s chest where his heart once belonged. Kyo squirmed from his position as the tree branch pierced through his body. The squishing sound of blood and flesh oozed from the struggle of being pinned two feet from the ground. 

“Here take this,” said Die handing Toshiya torn strips of cloth from what remained from his wardrobe.

“What about you? And Shinya?” said Toshiya.

“It hasn’t gotten too deep. Nevermind us. You got the neck. That’s too close to the jugular,” said Die.

The three musicians stare in disbelief at Kyo.

“What is he?” said Die. “How can you not die from that?”

Kyo let out a shrill screech followed by a growl.

“Is he even Kyo?” said Toshiya. “I don’t even know what’s going on anymore.”

“We gotta get out of here. We’ve been played,” said Die.

Kyo slowly squirmed out of the tree branch through his chest.

“We need to go quick or else,” said Shinya. 

He took a look at Toshiya. The blood had drenched the rags around his neck.

Just then, the sound of a snapping twig brought everyone’s attention to a stranger in the forest. Kyo’s heavy panting wove into the background as the hooded stranger strided towards the group. The black hood reached the ground just short of showing a pair of pointy, leather boots. The skeletal hands under the wide sleeves slowly lifted the hood showing a face all too familiar.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Nothing good lasts for long when you have a cold blooded serial killer on your tail. If you enjoyed this bone chilling chase, leave a comment and/or kudos.


	20. Death Trap

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> BGM: The Bottom of Death Valley (Unraveling version) by Dir en grey

“I’m so sorry to ask you of this,” said Genma.

“It’s no problem. Really,” insisted Kaoru.

Genma twisted the rusty key and loosened the chains to the toolshed. The green paint around the handles were peeling off and curling on its edges. The sunlight spilled into the dark interior. There was a menagerie of things. Towards the entrance was firewood and branches neatly piled against the walls. Further away was an ancient wheelbarrow holding gardening tools. The little shelves on the opposite walls held an assortment of nails and power tools.

“Do you want it all in here?” Kaoru asked pointing at the three barrels outside.

“Yes, please. I wouldn’t ask you of this if I hadn’t hurt my back,” said Genma.

Kaoru tipped the barrels over and rolled them into the toolshed. They were indeed cumbersome which made him wonder how the old man got them here in the first place. He wrinkled his nose at the smell radiating from one of the barrels. It was something like a bad pickle. 

Kaoru put his hands around his hips and drew a grin on his face. 

“This old man still has fire in his gut,” he said quietly.

The creaky door slammed shut obliterating all light except for the very few seeping from the cracks. Kaoru put his hand on the door and pushed.

“Maybe the wood warped.”

He pushed a little harder. It only budged an inch. Kaoru heard the rattling metal chain obstructing his exit.

“Genma! GENMA!”

The only response Kaoru received was silence. He banged and shook the door. There was no one in the vicinity to cry for help. Kaoru began to suspect that his sweating body was no longer a result of profusive banging and heavy lifting. The old man couldn’t have abandoned him so quickly. He fished his breast pocket for his phone. The screen read “signal out of range” to kaoru’s frustration. He tapped on the flashlight icon for some light.

The phone light shone on the barrels.  _ Maybe something from the barrels could help me _ , Kaoru thought. A dark liquid was seeping through the barrel cracks. As he came closer, the odor became increasingly nauseating. Common sense told Kaoru not to open it, but curiosity succeeded over fear. Upon yanking open the lid he let out a sharp gasp and nearly dropped the phone into the barrel.

Staring back at Kaoru as the contorted face of a man marinating in a sickly pickle juice. He slammed the lid back on and steps backwards. There was only one person that came to mind who would accomplish such a crime. The light now fixated somewhere else. With one hand, Kaoru rummaged through the shelves. The worn tools were useless without an outlet. Just as he was about to give up, his eyes wandered to the wheelbarrow.

An idea popped into Kaoru’s head. He shone the light over the wheelbarrow. Among the mess of trowels, small buckets, spray bottles, tiny rakes, and a long coil of green hose, a faint light glimmered in the dark. The rusty blade of a hatchet glinted back at Kaoru. He eagerly dug his hand into the mess. His fingers grasped the weathered handle and tore it from the objects.

_ Thwack!  _ The blade chopped into the wooden door. Kaoru swung high and brought it down again and again. Slowly the fragments chipped away. More sunlight shone through the newly made cracks. Kaoru’s phone on the ground was still reading “signal out of range”. The battery was also running low. It was only a matter of time that he would lose the flashlight’s ability. 

With all the strength he could muster up, Kaoru’s hatchet pierced the wooden frame. The rotten wood hit the stone pavement. A cold breeze swept through the toolshed freeing Kaoru’s mind off the horrifying stench trapped in the barrel. Newly motivated, the hatchet continued to cut more and more of the door. He could see the thick chain that was connected to the handle. In a mighty blow, Kaoru hacked down the handle where the padlock hung and the door swung open. He dropped the hatchet and reached to pick up his phone.

“Ow!”

Something black bit his hand and scuttled away. Kaoru held his bitten hand. The sunlight had already betrayed the intruder’s hiding place. In a fury, kaoru crushed the black scorpion under his boot into smithereens. A bit of blood leaked from his wound and the cut was beginning to swell. Genma came out to see the fuss, His face turned white seeing Kaoru.

“What is the meaning of this?” Kaoru said angrily.

“I-I had no choice!” Genma stuttered.

He trembled and shook with each step he took backwards.

“He t-told me if you and the other men w-were lured away, h-he will s-spare my life,” said Genma.

“Where is everyone?” Kaoru said fiercely.

“T-they should be in the mountain by now,” Genma answered.

The elderly man suddenly grabbed his throat. His eyes grew large and his jaw opened wide. He let out a raspy caw of a noise and dropped his knees to the ground. Shaking uncontrollably, the noise grew louder. He fell with a thud and frothed at the mouth. Kaoru rushed to Genma’s side. Genma’s frightened eyes looked into Kaoru’s, unable to speak, until finally they looked straight ahead into a depth only Genma could see.  _ A slow and painful death, something only a master of poisons would do _ , thought Kaoru. As much as Genma had betrayed them, it was Mavros who was the mastermind. In the very end, Genma was never promised safe passage.

A rippling wave of pain pulsed through Kaoru’s body. He had forgotten that he too had become a victim to the master of poisons. The skin around the scorpion bite was swollen, what what was jarring to see was the abnormal curse mark growing from the bite. The vein-like markings writhed under Kaoru’s tattoos. Genma’s body was growing out of focus very quickly.The chirping birds and rustling leaves were diminishing into hushed whispers. Without notice, Kaoru laid on the ground unable to feel anything. His own throat was constricting by the moment. The only thought that ran through his head was the regret of leaving Die, Shinya, and Toshiya all alone on the mountain unable to escape Mavros’ clutches.

Ringing in Kaoru’s ears was the sound of bells. The familiar sleigh bells from a dream Kaoru had before. He now saw them. The white robed  _ onmyouji  _  shook yellow bells and chanted. A bonfire was secured in the center of the ritual. Surrounding the fire were sticks carved with  _ bonji  _ and white  _ shime  _ folded in zig zag patterns. A  _ miko  _ dressed in red and white threw in some dried leaves. The flames raged hungrily. Kaoru was beginning to make out the scene in the forest from his dream. The same pentagram was now inscribed on a banner wrapped around the trunk of an old tree. He observed the ancient tree to be the same one from a previous dream. It too was covered in the same vein-like curse mark. The chanting from the  _ onmyouji _ grew louder and quicker. The  _ miko  _ brought out a clay pot sealed in white parchment. It shook violently in her hands. She then hurled the pot into the fire. The black mist shot out of the flames and roared angrily. 

Sweat rolled down the foreheads of the chanting  _ onmyouji _ . The black mist coiled around itself and swam furiously in the air. It drove through an  _ onmyouji  _  and knocked him to the ground. The curse mark writhed on the tree bark like a snake. Some of the  _ onmyouji  _  dropped their bells and performed mudras with their hands. Drawing the sign of the pentagram in the air, they drew seals from their billowing sleeves. The white parchment inscribed with Chinese characters latched themselves onto to black mist and disintegrated into flames. The black mist roared and swam around the helpless  _ onmyouji _ . 

An  _ onmyouji  _ fearlessly stood before the formless beast. His fingers formed a triangle and placed them near his mouth. As he chanted loudly, the mist came barreling towards him. It came to a full stop when a shield of light appeared from above. Four other  _ onmyouji  _ stood beside the lead  _ onmyouji  _ and chanted in similar fashion. The black mist continued to run itself through the pentagon formation. The rest of the  _ onmyouji  _ kept throwing seals to deter the mist.

In a short while, the mist was writhing like a worm on salt. The curse mark on the tree was coiling from the branches and receding to the mist. The final blow was delivered when the mist burst into flames. The floating fireball lit up the dark forest and scattered in all directions. A bit of the embers were left on the ground, but were quickly smoldered by trampling feet. The curse mark had been lifted from the giant tree.

A faint voice called out. “Kaoru … Kaoru ..”

Kaoru’s eyelids opened to a worried Kyo looking down on him. He was still feeling the sickness erupting from his body, but he knew there was something to be done. He dragged himself away from Genma’s corpse and closer to the  _ ryokan  _ entrance. His head was spinning terribly and the fatigue was eating away at him. The curse mark had spread all through his arm up to his neck.

“Kaory, what are you doing? You need help,” said Kyo.

Kaoru lifted his finger weakly at the entrance. He struggled to bring himself to a stand. Still, he took the step to reach the door and yanked off the dried mugwort. With his back against the wall, Kaoru reached for the lighter in his breast pocket. His fingers fumbled to ignite the flames.

The image was becoming highly out as focus as Kaoru was seeing two lighters instead of one. The familiar click let the flame rise. He brought his shaking hand to the dried leaves. White smoke rose from the small pile. In an instant, the smoke grew. Kaoru smothered the burning leaves to his bitten hand. The searing pain electrocuted his nerves stimulating his consciousness. The curse mark was receding from his neck back to his arm. Kaoru heard a shriek escaping from his ears. Once the shrieking stopped, his vision was back to stability. The first thing he noticed was how noticeably pale Kyo had gotten. He was more transparent than Kaoru had remembered. 

“Glad you’re back to normal,” greeted Kyo.

“I’m not sure how, but I had a weird dream. It told me how to get out of it,” said Kaoru.

“I had to pull your soul back from the underworld. Took me a while to do that and depleted a bit of my own battery,” said Kyo.

“I was in the underworld? I was dreaming about the past. I saw these priests exorcising the black mist that took you in,” said Kaoru. “And I also saw—.”

“What else did you see?” asked Kyo.

Kaoru suddenly remembered Mavros stabbing the bundle of cloth.

“I-I also saw a tree in my dream,” he stammered. “I think it’s a special tree.”

Kyo looked at him funny.

“Don’t tell me it’s a Christmas tree,” said Kyo.

Kaoru looked down at his hand again. The burn left an unsightly mark, but it relieved him to know that the only markings on his skin were his tattoos. When he looked up again, he saw two Kyo’s identical in dress and demeanor standing before him.

“What the hell—,” said Kaoru.

“Don’t listen to h, Kaoru. He’s the imposter.”

“As if? You appeared out of nowhere, I was the one that just saved him.”

“Where’s your proof? You were the first thing he saw when he woke up.”

Confused, Kaoru decided to quickly settle the feud with a question. “Where is everyone else? The real one knows the answer.”

“In the mountains,” both Kyos responded.

_ Oh God. How am I supposed to tell them apart _ , thought Kaoru.

“I can show you exactly where they are.”

“He’s going to lead you to doom.”

“Doom? You’re the obstacle of impending doom.”

With a snap of a finger, one Kyo disappeared abruptly.

“We need to go quick before he catches up to us,” said Kyo. “C’mon. Right this way.”

Kyo turned his translucent back to Kaoru towards the tall grass. Kaoru hesitated to follow. He caught glimpse of a shadowy smile.

“What’s wrong? We need to hurry,” said Kyo with a hint of impatience in his voice.

“One last thing before we go,” said Kaoru. “What was the first thing you said when you first appeared to me?”

“How is that important right now? We need to get to Shinya and the others!” said Kyo.

“Answer me!” Kaoru said firmly. “I’m not moving until you answer me.”

“Fine. I was warning you to save Die. You happy now?” said Kyo. “Can we go?”

“No,” said the second Kyo.

Kaoru walked closer to the second Kyo away from the first Kyo.

“Kaoru! He’s here to throw you off.”

“The first words I said was ‘Guys is that you’.”

“Wait … what? The first thing I ever said was ‘Save Die’. I know for sure! I still remember it!”

“I said that through a phone. I never appeared in front of Kaoru that time. You only have memories of my conversations, but not where and how. Mavros has done a fine job implanting that transcript,” said Kyo.

The false Kyo let out a scowl and lowered his head. Tendrils of black smoke spilled from his slender fingers. His image was distorting into black sand, dropping to the ground like contents from an hourglass. “Kyo” had been entirely replaced with a monster of smoke. The swirling smoke erupted a distorted face much like the man in the barrel. The smoke monster sucked in a tremendous gulp of air and bellowed out shaking kaoru in his boots. A crimson storm of leaves and dust assaulted from all directions. The black smoke swam like an octopus in the sky and charged at Kaoru. 

The unsteady ground left Kaoru’s criss-crossed legs trapped in his own steps. He brought his arms to an X-shape to shield himself from the oncoming peril. Just then, he felt a sharp tug and his body was shooting through the air backwards into a pile of leaves. The ravaging smoke tore up the stone pavement with its ferocious wind and shattered the rocks. Genma’s lifeless body was flung like a ragdoll against the walls of the  _ ryokan  _ and landed on the ground with awkwardly bent arms and legs. The sky rained sharp pebbles and dust. 

Kyo dragged Kaoru through the pile of leaves away from the smoke monster. The black smoke took note of Kaoru’s absence and came barreling through the maple trees. Genma’s translucent body walked in front of the terrible monster.

“There’s kerosene in the shed. Do what you must. Burn the root of all evil. The deed has already been done and there’s no going back. Let me redeem myself before Enma sends me to Naraku,” said the old man.

He turned to face the monster that was gathering speed. His body seeped of a celestial light, of pure will. The mist grinded it body against Genma’s attempting to break through. Genma’s outstretched arms pushed the overflowing smoke around him. Finally the mist smothered Genmas’s light by swallowing him whole. Imprints of Genma’s pained face could be spotted throughout the mist. Now it had implanted next to the distorted face of the barrel dweller like a cancerous bulb. 

The smoke monster expanded its body around the shed blocking all escape routes. Kyo pushed Kaoru into the shed.

“Go. I got this,” said Kyo.

The intention of vanquishing the beast gleamed brightly in Kyo’s eyes. He looked fiercely at the deformed mist. The whirlwinds of leaves and stone didn’t rest from their rotations. The black smoke let out the war cry and ravaged its formless body on the toolshed sneaking in through the crevices.

“I lived. I died. Now I live again!” Kyo shouted.

Just as the black smoke came to enclose on the shed, a barrier of light pushed the black arms away. Kyo could feel his ghostly energy coming to a limit. He let out his signature growl as he drew the ghostly life force of his ethereal body. The barrier continued to push teh tentacles of smoke away.

“You … will … not … consume … ME,” Kyo growled.

His body was fading by the second as the smoke came closer and closer. It began to grab Kyo’s limbs lto fuse like clay with the main body.

It was in the direst of times that flames in the shed grew. A toothy grin cut across Kyo’s face as he regained control of his arms again. The fire grew and latched onto the smoke monster. Kaoru ran out of the shed covering his mouth with his jacket. The smoke monster was now bursting into flames like the mist he saw in his dream of the past. Genma’s smoky body departed from the monster and evaporated into the atmosphere. The scorching body of the smoke monster brushed onto the fiery maple trees setting them lit. The garden was tainted with flames. 

“You need to go,” said Kyo. “Mavros left a blood trail for you to follow.”

“But … what about you?” said Kaoru.

Kyo was barely visible among the burning backdrop.

“I used up a lot of energy journeying into the underworld, but now I depleted most of my energy. If I follow you, I’ll only hinder you.”

“What about Mavros’ visions? You’re the only one that can access his thoughts.”

“There’s no more use for them. I can see them his very second running through my eyes like a film reel. The destruction of all of us,” said Kyo putting one hand over his eye. “Just … go. I’ll catch up.”

Kaoru took one last look and ran through the tall, dry grass. Kyo watched the black figure disappear further and further. The flames grew hotter and stronger than before. The leaf piles were now bonfires of their own. Kyo couldn’t feel the heat at all. Nor did it matter how hot it burned. The black mountains were now distorted in the mirage of flames. 

“Just go. Before it’s too late for all of us.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And the pain will never stop. The chase will continue and the terror will haunt. How do you think the rest of the boys are faring while Kaoru catches up? Or will he catch up at all? Leave you ideas on what you think will happen in the next chapter. If you like the crazy shit I write, leave a comment and/or kudos.


	21. It's a Cruel World

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> BGM: Akatsuki by Dir en grey

Covered in dust and smoky clothes, Kaoru climbed the mountains wearily. His body was not accustomed to the vigorous hiking he had just completed within the hour.  _ Please don’t let it be too late _ , thought Kaoru. He followed the dried blood and broken twigs. Aside from his own footsteps, he heard the cawing of a crow above his head. The crow cocked its head and looked at Kaoru from the branch of a dying tree.

“Why hello there …” a sly voice hissed.

Kaoru quickly turned around. Mavros had removed his hood and stood with arms crossed.

“It’s you!” Kaoru said angrily. 

“Yes, it’s me. Your pursuer,” Mavros said in accented Japanese. “I’m so glad you made it this far into the game. Everything went according to plan. Well, sort of.”

“Your plan? More like your murder spree,” spat Kaoru. “You chased us all this way from America and involved so many innocent lives. All these meaningless deaths to challenge us for no reason!”

“Meaningless deaths? No death is meaningless. All death is meaningful and calculated. They had a part to play in my plan.”

Mavros put his hands around his back and circled the dying tree.

“I did extensive research on your band. I watched your performance videos, your interviews; just how did you manage to captivate so many fans? You have a huge following in the States. Your fans are a cult. Your frontman is known for his violent stunts on stage. Wouldn’t it be great for him to go out like the band for all his fans? It’s such a beautiful narrative to end leaving the world to speculate, why did he have to die?

I used my sister as an inspiration. I used the townspeople. It caused some hysteria for some time, but no one is going to care if one or two people go missing from some hick town. At best it will end up on someone’s top ten list of mysterious deaths.”

Mavros stopped walking and faced Kaoru. His eyes looked calm as if he was confiding in a friend. His hands were put to his sides. The black sleeves swayed to the autumn breeze. Kaoru looked for any concealed weapons under the sleeves. Mavros appeared to be unarmed. Wary of his surroundings, Kaoru dare not approach within three meters of Mavros. However something struck Kaoru as unanticipated. Compared to the gaunt portrait on television, Mavros’ face didn’t appear to be lifeless. In fact, he could very easily pass off as an ordinary person on the streets. The strangely friendly face masked all the malicious intents aimed at them.

“Mavros. I’ve been figuring out how you have been able to track us. You’re always one step ahead of us including this time,” said Kaoru. “You’ve waited one year to begin your plan.”

“You’re right. I had been tracking you all along. I had help from an unsuspecting friend of yours,” said Mavros.

“Friend?” asked Kaoru.

“Your band’s frontman, Kyo.”

“Kyo? That’s impossible! He’s been helping us all this time.”

“Or so he thought. Did it ever occur to you that the visions he had been receiving were purposely implanted by me?”

Kaoru’s heart skipped a beat.

“Even when he parted from his body after death, he didn’t know he left something behind. That’s right, he doesn’t even know I have possession of his body,” said Mavros.

“After killing him, I planned to make use of his body to recreate something, but in order to do that, I needed a bit of his soul. Having a small fragment of his soul meant that I could always locate wherever he went. Thus, Kyo unintentionally betrayed all of you by leading me to you.”

_ That would explain why Mavros appeared in Iwate so quickly _ , thought Kaoru.

“Because I had a fragment of his soul, it meant I could control what I wanted him to see. This is child’s play for a necromancer like me,” said Mavros. “Sneaking a body into Japanese territory was the tricky part. It took me a year to prepare everything including the smuggling which is why your friend appeared to you a year later.”

“Spirits travel by latching onto objects or people. Kyo’s soul may have been split, but the remaining part was latched onto the original body. That would mean he’s bound to the earth and unable to move on even if he wanted to,” said Kaoru.

“Ahh. So you figured that part out. You’re quite learned in this area. It makes me happy to know that I’ve been going up against a formidable opponent. Makes the challenge more fun,” said Mavros.

“You intentionally let us live each time, didn’t you?” said Kaoru.

Mavros was silent for a bit and looked to the ground as he spoke. “I originally planned to kill all of you off one by one. But seeing that you were all so resilient, I decided to let you all get a taste of pain before finishing you off in one big show.”

Out of thin air, a machete appeared from Mavros’ empty hand. Kaoru’s eyes grew large with fear. Mavros casually tossed the machete at Kaoru’s feet.

“All of my predictions have come true so far and all of you had fulfilled them wonderfully each time. I guess it would be wrong to call it a prediction,. It should be called your fate. I will tell you right now that with that machete, you will kill Kyo with your own hands and you will watch your entire band die,” said Mavros.

“What did you do to Kyo’s body!” shouted Kaoru.

“I made it into a monster that craves the flesh of humans. I guess you call it a  _ rasetsu _ in your culture. Hold on …”

Mavros stopped awkwardly and stared into space.

“I see … spirit Kyo is making his way here to stop me, but let’s see i you are all quick enough. My  _ rasetsu  _  is entertaining the rest of your band. Maybe if you’re lucky, you might see an arm or two left,” said Mavros.

Kaoru threw the machete from the ground at Mavros. The shiny weapon went right through Mavros and embedded itself into the trunk of a tree. 

“Did you really think I was stupid enough to let you do that?” 

Mavros’ image flickered and disappeared. The crow on the dead tree flew away.

“My real body is somewhere else,” echoes Mavros’ voice. “Let’s see if you can make it past this trial.”

A withered hand burst out from the ground. The putrid odor of corroding flesh hit Kaoru’s nose. From the upturning soil, animated corpses of men and women of varying degrees of decay climbed from their unnatural sleep. Some clothes were still covered in rusty bloodstains. Kaoru tried to pull out the machete, but it was firmly lodged in the tree trunk. His hands desperately pulled on the handle. The corpses turned their crooked heads mechanically towards Kaoru and hobbled clumsily to him. 

With a swift pull, the blade was released from the tree. Kaoru swung it on the corpse of an old man with knobbly knees. The blade cut through the rotting flesh like soft cheese. The body tumbled and parts of his entrails spilled from his ribcage. Kaoru swung the machete again knocking the old man to the ground. He lost mobility of his legs, but continued to crawl with a remaining left arm. Kaoru took the blade and plunged it downward severing the head from the body.

The wave of incoming corpses flooded the mountain. Kaoru scanned his perimeter. There were at least thirty of them coming for him, some of which he recognized as the recent missing persons on the news. A young woman with a half eaten face came looking for Kaoru. Her jaw was no longer covered with skin and her hollow sockets were spewing with writhing worms. Kaoru swung the machete and lopped her head off. He made a run for the deep forest. As he ran, the thicket grew darker drawing very little sunlight to illuminate the foliage covered floor. The sound of rattling bones and raspy gasps tagged behind him.

One of the faster running corpses latched onto Kaoru for an unwanted piggyback. The foul stench invaded the senses. The corpse tried gnawing on Kaoru’s ear with its missing teeth. More of the corpses caught up looking for a piece of Kaoru to gnaw on. The machete was lost in the crowd of the undead. The suffocating miasma filled Kaoru’s lungs as he felt the weight of so many piled on him. He was helpless in the sea of decay, unable to move a finger or scream. He could no longer see the sunlight or the trees, only the hungry undead. Kaoru prayed hard like he never did before. He prayed for the noise of rattling bones to cease. He prayed for the dark to go away. He prayed for the pain to end. He prayed to be in a better place.

The pain began to lessen bit by bit. Kaoru thought perhaps he was finally dying. The voices that came from the corpses were quieted down. The bodies were scattering apart. Thick tree branches coiled around the corpses and crushed them into mush. More tree branches sprung from the roots and forcefully dragged the corpses into the dirt. Kaoru watched the nearby branch smashed the undead against the tree trunks. The final corpse was brought high above the forest and then pounded into the floor. Kaoru watched in awe as the surface was strewn with bodies. 

Some tendrils of leaves and vines handed Kaoru his machete. The violent branches retreated to the main body to which Kaoru recognized as the same one from his dream. The majestic tree shifted its branches creating a new doorway. The leaves gave Kaoru a little push towards the path.

“Thank you.”

Kaoru ran towards the sunlight. As he ran, the branches moved and guided him along. Some of the trunks purposely carved themselves before reverting back to their original shape. With each aching step Kaoru took, he could feel himself coming closer to something sinister.

A shrill screech sounding a lot like Kyo echoed in the mountain. Kaoru’s heart skipped a beat. He ran as fast as his tired legs could carry him. He saw a super bloody Kyo aggressively attacking Shinya. Toshiya and Die were trying their best to pull him off. In one fell swoop, Kyo was removed. Kaoru ran over to drag Shinya away. Shinya jerked as he noticed that Kaoru had suddenly appeared beside him.

“God damn Kaoru! You’re alive!” aid Die. “We need to get the fuck out of here!”

“Jesus Christ. So this is what Mavros meant when he said  _ rasetsu _ ,” said Kaoru.

“You mean crazy man-eater over here?” said Toshiya. “Fucking Mavros has some sort of grudge for us.”

“Not grudge. Just a penchant for death,” said Kaoru.

“What are we doing now? We need to leave,” said Die.

“In my dream, it said to find a sleeping rock. It has to be around here somewhere.”

“What sleeping rock? We have no time!” said Die.

“There’s something important about it. I know it. It can help us with this and Kyo,” insisted Kaoru.

“What! He’s trying to kill us! It isn’t even Kyo!” argued Die. “Give me the knife and I’ll stab him with it.”

“Now’s not the time for a squabble,” said Mavros. 

They all turned to glare at him. Kyo came galloping towards them at full speed. They dispersed and headed down the mountain.  _ Maybe now is not the time to look for the sleeping rock _ , thought Kaoru. Just then he saw Toshiya contort his face painfully.

“SHINYA!”

Kyo caught up with Shinya and lodged his fangs deep into Shinya’s neck just as a lion would with a fleeing antelope. As Kyo arched his own neck backwards, the blood from Shinya flowed dangerously from the wound. Shinya fell headfirst against a tree.  _ Snap!  _ His neck turned irregularly and the fountain of blood spouted onto the nearby shrubs. His glossy eyes dilated and remained that way as Kyo dug for entrails.

Mavros smiled and watched with relish, “One down. Three to go. The deed has been done.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I must be the worst person making Shinya die like that. There will be more deaths to come, but whose will it be? If you found this chapter and the author to be morbidly disgusting, stay tuned for the next chapter.


	22. Gasou

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> BGM: Revelation of mankind by Dir en grey

Kaoru froze in shock as he watched Kyo snack on Shinya. He couldn’t stop shaking. Toshiya also went white with shock. Kaoru took a glance at Die and saw that hot tears streamed down silently. Kaoru could feel his own face burning. 

“Why …” Die said quietly almost whispering. “Why did it have to come to this?”

Die turned to Mavros who was standing not so far away. In a fit of rage, he lightning sped to the sorcerer catching him by surprise. His hand clenched around Mavros’ throat.

“WHY DID YOU DO THIS! HE DIDN’T DESERVE TO DIE!” screamed Die.

Even as he violently shook Mavros, Mavros retained his creepy demeanor.

Kyo was done hollowing out Shinya and turned his attention to Toshiya. It all happened too fast for Kaoru. Kyo had picked a rock from the ground and smashed it on Toshiya’s head. Kaoru heard a loud crack as the skull caved in from the impact. Die was startled by the noise and turned his head to see Toshiya on the ground unconscious with Kyo tearing entrails out. Die tried hard to blink away the tears, but he couldn’t stop them from falling. He brought Mavros closer by the scruff of his neck and punched him in the face. Mavros only returned a grin. Die punched him over and over again until blood spat from Mavros’ lips.

“Give in to the anger!” Mavros laughed through his swelling face.

Die could feel the rage boiling within ready to spew and bubble intensely. With every punch he threw, he could see Shinya and Toshiya’s dead bodies. He wished deep down inside that they would spring back up at any moment to assist him in beating Mavros, but they would not stir.

“I think this is enough,” Mavros announced through his puffy lips.

His free hands produced a small dagger and pierced it easily into Die’s chest. Die let out a short gasp and watched the red bleed over his already soaked clothes. Mavros chuckled with the bloody dagger in his hands. He tossed it onto the grass carelessly and turned to walk away. Die could feel the end coming for him. It was creeping on him like Death hovering right next to him. He saw Mavros walking closely to the ledge of the mountain.

“What are you doing? You’re bleeding,” said Mavros.

Die walked closer clutching his stab wound. His weak hand couldn’t stop the overflowing blood from dripping. Mavros only furrowed his brow slightly with disgust. Die staggered to his assailant. With his final strength, he pushed the unsuspecting Mavros over the ledge. Mavros screamed in fear as he fell. It was not a soft hill of moss and crunchy leaves he tumbled on, but a deep rocky crevice. His screams echoed and were cut short. Die peered over to see. Mavros’ body was sprawled at an unnatural angle.  _ Good _ , Die thought to himself.

As he turned around, he saw that Kyo appeared right in front of him. Kyo dug his claw into Die’s chest and pulled out his beating heart with the main arteries still attached. Die gave his final look at Kaoru before keeling over to die. Kyo pulled the organ free from its appendages and gouged at it. The blood spurt across his face as he hungrily devoured it. Die crumpled by the ledge lifelessly spilling warm blood on the dry grass.

The three lifeless bodies around Kaoru painted him a crimson nightmare to endure. He felt sick seeing so much blood at once. The stench was only beginning to affect him. Yet Kyo here was eating as if it was nothing to him. The overwhelming guilt flooded Kaoru. He had watched all his members hunted like prey and slaughtered like livestock, yet he was unable to do a thing, but quake in fear. Kyo looked at Kaoru, but wary of the blade in his hands.

“I’m too late.”

Kyo the spirit looked regretfully at the bodies.

“Why didn’t you kill me?” said Kyo.

“If I destroyed your body, your soul won’t have a vessel to go back to,” said Kaoru.

“Kaoru, stop it.”

“No … you don’t understand.”

“Kaoru,” Kyo said firmly. “It’s clear to me now.”

“What’s clear?”

“I’ve been dead the whole time. Body or no body.”

“Wait … so you knew all this time?”

“Yes, I knew. I wasn’t having an out of body experience. You think I wouldn’t notice after hanging around so long? It pained me to tell you so I feigned ignorance. The dead are not suppose to be in the world of the living. You need to destroy my body now. It’s been marked. No good will come to it even if I possess it.”

Kaoru looked down at the blade. Time had come to a full stop for him.

“I can’t do it. I can’t kill you. Not even if it’s not you.”

Kyo gave Kaoru a smile that was strangely calming. It put Kaoru’s nerves to rest.

“All that body transfer and soul stuff I was talking about, it wasn’t all a lie, but … I was well aware what was going on. I just couldn’t accept it, my own death. I wanted to find out why as much as you all wanted so I gave you all motivation as if I was alive. I’ve been selfish for denying my death and dragged you all into this. Look what happened.”

“Kyo, no. It isn’t like that.”

“I am not afraid of death or the afterlife. I’ve lived without regrets. I can move on from here. You need to avenge all of us by putting an end to this. Don’t worry, it’s not going to hurt me. You know I hate violence. It’s my body committing these heinous acts. You have a duty to stop it.”

“Ok. So what am I supposed to do now?”

“I will possess the body, but most likely it will reject me since it’s been marked. The blade you have is tainted with a spell to destroy all flesh no matter how invincible it is. All you have to do is to strike my heart while the body is possessed.”

Kyo hovered to his flesh body.

“This is goodbye,” he said.

He merged with the body and it stood still.

“Quick! Before it rejects me!” said Kyo.

Kaoru stood face to face with the frontman. His wavering hand brought the blade tip to where the heart was located. In an instant, he felt a sharp pain in his own stomach. Kyo’s claws dug through Kaoru’s body leaving a bloody mess.

“This is goodbye,” Kaoru winced.

He plunged the machete straight into the heart. Kyo retracted his arm and touched the blade. His skin melted as soon as it touched metal. He screeched in pain as if burned alive. The flesh that had regenerated successfully before now withered away exposing muscle and bone.

Kaoru couldn’t see anything, but the sky above his head as he lay on the grass. He didn’t want to watch Kyo flailing and tossing on the ground, but the piercing screams violated his ears. The pain from the wound was gnawing away at Kaoru, but he couldn’t care less at this moment. He was growing colder and colder and he was sure it wasn’t just the autumn breeze. He was going to die anyways. He had no strength to move even a finger. There was no one to call for. He would die here without anyone knowing. 

“Now’s probably a good time to look for the sleeping rock.”

Kaoru rolled his painful body over on his stomach. He dragged himself slowly over the grass mounds. The chunky pebbles and twigs only made the journey less smooth. His numbing fingers brushed the grass away.

“Aah. So you were right here the entire time.”

He ran his sticky fingers over the smoothly carved dragon hidden in the soil. Its stone body was coiled like a snake as if it was resting. The blood coated the rocky scales in dying vermillion. With one hand on the rock, Kaoru closed his eyes to the darkness.

“Why are you here?”

Kaoru noticed he was standing in a brightly lit room. Kyo was looking at him concerned.

“I’m asking you why are you here?” he said sharply.

“I dunno. I think … I died,” said Kaoru.

“You weren’t suppose to,” said Kyo.

“I’m sorry.”

Kaoru saw that the rest of the band were also present. They were free from bloody rags and were dressed in fresh clothes like they were before they left the inn. They looked glumly out a window. Kaoru also joined to look. It was the forest floor with their dead bodies.

“Guys. I think it’s time to face reality,” said Kyo.

The white room disappeared and they appeared in the forest. They each walked to their corpses for a final look. 

“I wonder what happened to Mavros,” said Shinya.

“Burning in hell as we speak,” said Die.

“Kyo it’s been so long,” said Toshiya. 

“I suppose it’s been ages. Over a year to be more exact,” said Kyo.

“Do you think anyone is going to find us?” said Toshiya.

“I dunno. Maybe they will. Maybe they won’t,” said Kyo.

“It looks like you found your sleeping rock,”said Die pointing at Kaoru’s corpse.

“When the darkness preys, look for the sleeping rock. That’s what it told me in my dream,” said Kaoru. “So I found it, but now what? Did I go on a wild goose chase for nothing?”

“We all tried hard. We did our best. You did your best,” said Kyo.

Shinya crouched to the ground hugging his knees. He poked at his own lifeless body against the tree. The way his own neck snapped made Shinya shudder as he now touched his own neck, making sure it was still intact. Toshiya refused to look anymore at his own corpse. The bloody mess from his cracked skull was enough to make his stomach hurl. He turned to face Kyo to distract himself. 

“I want to thank you for always helping us one way or another,” said Toshiya.

Kyo scratched the back of his head and turned his face slightly.

“I had to do something. Even though it ended up like this right now, it was still worth it,” he said.

“Was it worth it being gutted alive by you?” joked Kaoru.

“Hey! I got kicked out of my own body. Maybe if I could possess it longer, you may have succeeded,” said Kyo.

“And then what?” said Kaoru. “I did succeed. It’s just that I ended up dead. I don’t know how I would face life if I was the only one alive and you guys are gone forever.”

“Aww. Are you trying to say you will miss us?” teased Die.

“Stop it, Die. We’re dead,” said Kaoru with a tinge of pink on his cheeks.

“But I’ll really miss Miki. She will be alone at home probably waiting for me endlessly,” said Die.

“Who’s Miki? Are you hiding someone at home? You kidnapped some poor underage girl off the street? That’s a crime,” said Toshiya.

“No! Miki’s my pet cat,” said Die.

“Miki’s probably going to forget you. She’s probably cuddling with a new owner right now,” said Toshiya.

“Shut up. Miki saved my life. She’s special,” Die argued.

“If I remember correctly, Shinya owns a pet Chihuahua,” said Kaoru.

“He’s definitely going to miss me,” said Shinya sadly. “I already miss him.”

Kyo snickered. “You guys are so weird. This is why I don’t hang out with you guys.”

“Kyo, don’t you have something or someone you miss?” asked Die.

Kyo pondered for a moment. “Hm. Not really.”

“Are you sure?” said Die.

“Aah. There is something.”

“What is it?”

“I want to have  _ kakigori  _ again. I regret not having enough of it.”

“You really do have a sweet tooth.”

“Kaoru has one too,” said Kyo.

“What! Don’t drag me into this,” said Kaoru. “Kiwi popsicles don’t count.”

“I like sweet things too,” said Shinya.

“Like what?” asked Die.

“Strawberries dipped in condensed milk,” said Shinya.

“That’s not a sweet tooth. That’s called being a child,” said Die.

“How do you even decide on these things,” said Toshiya. “I remember you eating ice cream one time.”

“That was once in a blue moon. Besides it was super hot that day. You know how much I hate sticky weather,” said Die. “I stayed in an A/C room the entire day.”

“Amen to air conditioning,” said Kaoru.

Kyo laughed. “Is this how we’re holding our own funeral? Picking at each other’s eating habits.” 

“We might as well. It’s too morbid looking at my own corpse like that,” said Die. “We all died so terribly. You don’t even have a corpse left.”

“That’s true. I look like really bad pudding,” said kyo glancing at the grass where his remains lay.

“Eww. Don’t say that,” said Die.

“I think I look pretty good,” Kaoru said proudly.

“My hair is so messy and my jacket is all ripped. It was expensive,” said Die.

“No one cares about your hair,” said Toshiya.

“ _ I _ do,” said Die.

     “I bet management is getting something out of this,” said Kaoru.

“Our sales will skyrocket and not a single yen will go to us,” said Die. “So-and-so is dead? Well that’s too bad ‘cause this money’s going to us, the management.”

“Goodbye potential new condo space. You were almost mine,” lamented Toshiya. 

     “It feels like a total waste though. You found the rock and you ended up dead,” said Kyo.

“Honestly I don’t know why I even bother trying. It was a dream I had out of nowhere and I believed it,” said Kaoru. 

“But didn’t your dreams all have some important message in it?” said Kyo.

“When the darkness preys, look for the sleeping rock. Well, Death preyed on me and look what it did to all of us,” said Kaoru. “Speaking of which, where is Death? Shouldn’t he be here to pick me up for a bus ride?”

“He gave you a halo right now,” said Kyo.

Indeed a bright light had suddenly appeared behind Kaoru. The rest of them shielded their eyes from the growing glare. The grass melted away leaving a very white space.

“Is this … the afterlife? Heaven? Or maybe Hell?” asked Toshiya. “Are we moving on?”

Kaoru couldn’t quite answer this. He was done with this earth, but it didn’t feel like the underworld was beckoning for him. He had expected flames of Hell, but this didn’t seem like Heaven either. Yet Kaoru sensed that the ethereal light was coming from something supreme, something more important than his very existence.

 

_ Even when the darkness preys, light will always come to bury it. _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> How should I say this? What a gruesome way to end the story. Just kidding. This isn't the final chapter. There is still some ground to cover, but it's nearing the end. If you enjoyed reading it, leave a comment, give me a thumbs up, a kudos, and whatever kids like to do on their phones these days.


	23. Karma

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> BGM: Glass Skin by Dir en grey/Karasu by Dir en grey

The growing light was now receding a bit. Kaoru could trace a golden shape spiraling in front of him.

“What the hell am I seeing?” said Die.

A gigantic glittering dragon appeared before the five of them. Its long and massive body was enough to coil around Nippon Budokan twice. Its scales did shine like swimming carp as legends say. The eyes contained the ferocity worthy of being the king of beasts on the earth and the skies. The giant dragon looked at Kaoru.

_ Holy crap, Shenron is real _ , thought Kaoru.

The dragon spoke with booming volume. “You, small mortal, have broken an ancient seal using your blood and the rest of you became sacrifices to invigorate me once more as this mountain’s god.”

“Are you the same mountain god that chased away the  _ rasetsu _ ?” asked Kaoru.

“Indeed I am the one. So my story has not been forgotten,” said the dragon.

“An old man told me, but has has given his life,” said Kaoru.

The dragon coiled in the air as if it were swimming in water.

“He will suffer ninety nine years of torture in Hell for the cowardice he has shown,” said the dragon. “After ninety nine years, he will be reborn as prey to understand the fear of being hunted. Because he had shown courage at the very end, he will be reborn as a human at the end of his cycle. As gratitude for freeing me from my thousand year slumber, I bestow upon all of you a special gift.”

     The blinding flash of light covered the dragon and enveloped the five members. In a  moment, the dragon had disappeared. Kaoru stirred from the ground and opened his eyes. His nostrils caught whiff of dried blood and mountain grass. His fingers caked with blood were still grasped on the cut stone. He slowly sat up and patted himself free of grass and dirt. Kaoru pressed on his chest and looked at the inside of his shirt. The lethal wound had completed disappeared. He pressed his stomach beneath the remaining bloodstains to make sure the wound had closed. Surely enough, the skin was smooth as if it had never been marred before. 

     Die began to shift from his sleep. He turned his body to the side and found himself dangling closely on the edge. He let out a small scream before rolling back quickly to safety. His hands reached through his ragged clothes.

“What the …? My wounds …,” he said in amazement.

Kaoru got up to look at Toshiya who was lying facedown on the grass. The pool of blood and the rock was still there like before, only that Toshiya’s skull remained intact. Kaoru gave the bassist a gentle shake. Toshiya gave a quiet groan before opening his eyes. Shinya had also woken up. His neck was no longer crooked and nor was there a scar left behind.

“Should we try to wake him up?” asked Shinya. 

Kyo was sound asleep with folded hands and his face directed up to the sky. The hellish air was no longer upon him. The sudden breeze disrupted the tufts of blonde hair. A helicopter roared above their heads. Some rangers and policemen came running a few minutes later.

“Medic! We have an unconscious person here!” one of them called out.

A stretcher was quickly prepared and Kyo was strapped on.

“Quick! We have people that need medical attention!”

Kaoru was quick to refuse. “It’s ok. It’s just a tumble or two …”

“The cut on your hand will get infected if it’s not treated,” said the medic.

Kaoru glanced down at his own hand. The scorpion bite from before was now a bloody gash. He gave a light smile.  _ I guess the dragon god left us a good cover up story. _

The medics treated each of the members from small scratches and bruises. Toshiya had a knife graze and a swollen head as opposed to a concave skull. Die had a slight gash across his chest while Shinya had his on his shoulder.

“Will it go away?” Die asked anxiously.

“If treated properly, there shouldn’t be a scar,” assured the medic.

“Phew. My body is safe,” said Die.

“No one wants to see your body,” teased Toshiya.

“No one said anything showing anything to anyone,” retorted Die. 

“Who knows if the narcissist in you awakens out of nowhere,” said Toshiya.

Die laughed. “Me a narcissist? I’m a perfectionist.”

“More like perfect idiot,” said Shinya.

*********

A prison guard took a peek into one of the fail cells. Inside was a man with the most frightening eyes. It was as if his eyeballs could be plucked so easily from their sockets. He was bound in a straitjacket and placed uncomfortably in a metal chair. Half of his face was obscured by metal fixings used to keep him gagged. A fresh cut across the bridge of his nose was the one thing that stood apart from the entrapment. The prison guard continued his stroll down the hallway. Another guard was waiting at the very end.

“What’s with the new guy in room 304?”

“He’s the occultist that murdered a bunch of people. Supposedly when they found him, he was close to dead with every bone in his body fractured, split, or powdered.”

     “Hot damn. It is always the strange ones that have the most deranged sense of reality. In the last decade, we had cult leaders, religious fanatics, and disciples of the unholy that fill these cells. I don’t care whether you believe in ghosts or Colonel Sander’s fried chicken, you kill people you pay the price.”

“Isn’t that how some people say when you believe hard enough you can even worship a sardine’s head?”

“Where did you get that saying from? That sounds like something you get from a poorly written fortune cookie trying to be authentic.”

“Bob. That doesn’t sound remotely funny or intelligent.”

“As if Phil here is a Harvard educated academician. Going back to the subject, how did they get the guy in 304? He didn’t just fall off a cliff on his own will to commit suicide when he’s having so much fun on his own murderous spree.”

“The superiors didn’t divulge too much except that some musicians had stopped him. A foreign metal band supposedly.”

     “You need hardcore people to stop other hardcore people,” said Bob. “Any idea how long he is going to last in here?”

“It depends on the sentence. At most over a hundred years, but depending on how heinous they will rule it, I’d say a chance at death penalty would be very convincing.”

“No one comes into this prison with a clean background. They come in here fully aware of what they did and look at what happens every time. No remorse.”

“All who kill must pay whether it be living out your end of days in these bare walls or lethal injection.”

“Sometimes I get scared just thinking how people go from newborn babes to homicidal maniacs. Where did all the bad begin to seep in.”

“Sometimes I feel proud that we are still living,” said Phil. “Some people go from degenerates to godly saints. You have to believe that the good in the universe also seeps in.”

*********

A conference room filled with cameramen and reporters of major television broadcast stations and media press waited impatiently. The room escalated loudly when Officer Kobayashi entered accompanied by a lieutenant and other members of the Tokyo Metropolitan Police. 

“What will the police do with the aftermath of Tokyo’s gruesome murders!”

“Can you divulge how the police apprehended the murderer!”

“Is it true that some famous celebrities were involved!”

Question after question bombarded the police. Kobayashi asked for the crowd to settle down with the raise of his hand. The cameras mercilessly flash. Kobayashi leaned forward to speak into the microphone. 

“We, the Tokyo Metropolitan Police, had collaborated with the Iwate Prefectural Police to apprehend the criminal, Stephen Mavros. It is thanks to the hard work of the department and collaboration of fellow Japanese citizens that we were able to close the case. The persons involved have asked to remain anonymous for the presiding case …”

*********

_ “The serial murderer and self proclaimed occultist, Stephen Mavros, has been apprehended by the Tokyo Metropolitan Police on December 11.  The apprehended murderer has been transported back to the United States to be tried for his evil acts. Family members of the deceased victims are demanding that Mavros be tried on Japanese soil. The American representative has expressed condolences for the families and friends of the deceased while also offering a promise of delivering justice as compensation …” _

“What kind of compensation can you offer? The families are grieving now,” said Die.

“I’m wondering how much Kobayashi has promised to keep under the wraps. He has been quite lenient with our  _ special  _ encounters,” said Toshiya.

_ “On the charges for 127 murders committed on Japanese soil, 85 were involved in the inexplicable hospital massacre. Footage reclaimed from the scene recording the massacre was found to be damaged and irrevocable. The surviving footage only shows Mavros entering and leaving the hospital the day before the murders. Foreign exchange student, Colin Hill, was found dead in his room and police have reason to suspect that Mavros was involved. Hill’s family from the United States have been reported to have arrived yesterday. Shimizu Mari, a bartender that worked in Club Praha, was confirmed to be murdered in an alleyway by Mavros as captured on footage. The remaining 40 victims have been identified as the missing persons documented over the course since Mavros’ appearance in Japan. A candlelight vigil will be held in Yoyogi Park and shrines across the different communities to memorialize the victims.  _

_      Mavros has also been charged with forceful entry, illegal possession and illegal transportation of restricted items and human remains. Two months earlier when he been identified as the man who caused the disturbance at Narita International Airport before fleeing by taxi, police were investigating the reason for escape. The department has come to conclusion of contraband items and is still investigating how it was transported from Mavros’ home country. Among the restricted items were the bones of a human child that were excavated from the front yard of a residential home. Forensics have identified the bones to have belonged to a young female that had been deceased fifty years ago. The bones have since been claimed by the FBI for further analysis to determine its origins.  _

_      Officer Kobayashi that had been working closely with the case since the very beginning managed to disclose that this was a highly abnormal case that defied common logic. He said that perhaps it was a stroke of luck or justice appointed from above that four people, who chose to remain anonymous, managed to take down one of the deadliest killers we have seen.” _

“And now the case is closed,” concluded Die. He took a big gulp of  _ shochu _ .

“Are you sure you should be drinking so soon? Don’t forget we were dying not so long ago,” said Toshiya.

“It’s thanks to the mountain god that we are still alive. I think he may have fixed my liver,” said Die. “ _ Tenchou!  _ Another round of  _ oden _ !”

“ _ Haiyo! _ ” said the owner. 

Unlike the usual, Haiiro no Ginka was teeming with customers. A steamy clay pot of  _ oden  _ was brought to the table. All the chewy and simmered treats were floating in a bubbling pot of sweet broth. Die ladled one of the fish cakes into his shallow bowl.

“You know what would be nice right now? Spicy  _ sundubu _ ,” said Die.

“I haven’t had that in a long time since we lasted visited Korea,” said Toshiya. “That sounds nostalgic.”

     Shinya came shuffling into the izakaya. He was bundled from head to toe and busy patting off snow. 

“Shin-chan, you’re just in time for delicious oden,” said Die.

“For the last time, stop calling me Shin-chan,” said Shinya.

“I think he prefers Yamo-chan,” laughed Toshiya.

Shinya took off his gloves and placed his scarf in his bag. He poured himself a cup of tea from the steaming pot.

“So how is he?” asked Die.

“Still the same,” replied Shinya.

“Still being an old man cooped up in his room,” said Die.

“He said that there was no need to meet up anymore,” said Shinya.

“I guess it’ll just be us three tonight,” said Toshiya.

“Would it hurt just to have a drink together?” said Die.

The night carried on with more food and conversation while first snow gently sprinkled from the sky. Kaoru sat by the kotatsu with a burning cigarette dangling between his fingers. He thought of Genma all of a sudden. Poor soul to be damned for giving into fear. Was it really fair for him to go through torture while Mavros himself is still alive in this world? It wasn’t up to him to decide who lives. Kaoru looked at the painted statuette of the Virgin mary resting on top of a shelf. He prayed for mercy on Genma’s punishment in Hell. He was grateful to the dragon god for giving them all a second life, but now he worried for the last member now breathing through a machine in the hospital.

_ Your friend has suffered much more than the rest of you, the dragon had said before it disappeared that day. He will need more than a simple healing. It will be up to his karma to decide whether he will wake or not. _

It had been one week since the incident and Kyo showed no signs of waking up. Doctor Yamaguchi had no explanation for the state of Kyo’s body, which was extremely healthy. Before he knew it, the cigarette had burnt out entirely into a stub with ashes collecting below. Kaoru lifted the shades of his windows. The blanket of snow grew thicker than before. Kaoru only thought of how pure and white it was like Kyo’s intentions. He was always the kind one deep inside behind the moody and unapproachable exterior. 

_ Buzz buzz. Who could be messaging me at this hour _ , thought Kaoru. The message from Die read: Kaoru, the hospital called. There’s been a change in Kyo’s condition. Kaoru took a deep inhale.  _ This better not be for the worse.  _ He glanced at the statuette again. He reached for his jacket on the coat stand and headed out the door.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> To the readers who have stayed with me since the beginning, I thank you graciously. There is one more chapter before this tale comes to an end. Will karma prove to be fair for Kyo?


	24. The Other Side of Death is Life

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> BGM: Hageshisa to, Kono Mune no Naka de Karamitsuita Shakunetsu Yami by Dir en grey

Toshiya strolled through the white hallway locating room 304. In one hand was a plastic bag full of goods from the convenience store. He heard Die’s voice ring in the hallway. Toshiya quickened his pace. He walked in to see that everyone else had arrived before him.

“Hello,” greeted Kyo.

He was sitting up on his bed in his light blue hospital robe under thick blankets. His cheeks were rosy with glee. Toshiya dropped his bag on the empty table beside Kyo and stood at the foot of his bed. 

“I got you some drinks and snacks,” said Toshiya. 

“Did you get my favorite mushi cake,” asked Kyo. 

“Of course,” said Toshiya.

“When you get better, we’ll take you to this place to celebrate,” said Die. 

“Hm? What kind of place is it?” said Kyo.

“You’ll know when you get there,” said Shinya.

“Now that we are all here, I have a few questions,” Kyo began. “What did you guys tell the police to explain everything that happened?”

“We may have …” said Toshiya.

“Omitted some details,” said Die.

“Changed a few words here and there,” said Kaoru.

“Or lied about it,” said Shinya.

“Now really? Officer Kobayashi is going to believe that I came back from the dead,” said Kyo.

“We may have said something about a kidnapping,” said Die.

“And we may have suggested temporary unconsciousness through medical drugs,” said Kaoru.

“That’s a bullshit story that no one is going to believe,” said Kyo.

“Should we tell him,” whispered Shinya.

“Tell me what? Spit it out,” Kyo demanded.

Kaoru and Die looked at each other.

“Someone from the FBI came to talk to us. They said they would believe everything we told them,” said Toshiya. “We gave them the entire story from top to bottom. In return they told us to keep it a secret from the public.”

“Apparently they had been investigating Mavros for a really long time not fully aware of who he really was until things got out of hand,” Die chimed in. “He was on his way to claim another victim, but then we appeared.”

“I could never fully understand why he pick us as targets,” said Kyo.

“He’s a serial killer,” said Kaoru. “The agent told us that Mavros has a habit of picking random people to ‘experiment’ on. He had an unnatural fixation on life and death. We were passersbys in the area. What better target to pick on.” 

“I think the FBI has some special unit for nutcases like him. They were so calm listening to us talk about necromancy and shit,” said Toshiya.

“Whatever it is, they promised to deal with Mavros and won’t bother us anymore. We are done with this,” said Kaoru.

“But didn’t you tell me you got attacked by a bunch of zombies on your way to the mountain? How are the police and the FBI going to explain that to the media?” said Kyo.

“They said they found a vehicle nearby that contained soil composition from the mountain that is different from the soil elsewhere. Based on the fingerprints and DNA found on the vehicle, they deduced that Mavros used the area as a dumping ground for corpses,” said Kaoru.

“And then you fabricated a story for pushing Mavros off a mountain,” said Kyo.

“Actually I pushed him,” Die said proudly. “In self defense of course.”

“But what about me? Drug influence?” said Kyo.

“Temporary unconsciousness,” said Shinya. “And memory loss induced by chemicals.”

“Crazy Americans. I’m not going back to the United States to tour. I hate touring,” said Kyo.

“C’mon Kyo. It’s not because of Mavros that you’ll never tour again. Management needs money,” said Die.

“Touring means buses, language barriers, and faulty equipment emergencies. Oh wait, don’t forget to add serial killer on the list now,” said Kyo.

“If you’re worried about touring, we’re not going to be doing any of that for a while. Inoue and Takabayashi have promised a sabbatical before resuming band activities,” said Kaoru.

“Did you tell them word for word what happened?”

Kaoru gave a cheeky smile. “I can be very persuasive sometimes.”

Kyo unwrapped the mushi cake Toshiya bought. 

“Once I’m discharged, I need to start writing again. There’s so much to be done,” said Kyo.

“You’re in a rush to work with sukekiyo,” said Kaoru.

“I’ve been gone for a year. It’s December already. I have to get some things done before the new year,” said Kyo. “And our new album too. Don’t we need to write some songs?”

“Kyo, you woke up only … how many days … just two days ago,” said Die.

“Just take it easy,” said Shinya. “Eat your mushi cake.”

*****

Within a week, Kyo was discharged. The rowdy gang of musicians walked down the narrow streets. They reached a familiar dusty looking sign lit up by yellowing lights. Toshiya slid open the door. The owner was busy behind his counter, but peered over to see who it was.

“Welcome back!” he greeted loudly over the chatter in the restaurant. Tonight the place was teeming with people. Only one table remained empty. A server removed the “reserved” sign and started pouring hot cups of tea.

“So this is what you were all talking about,” said Kyo inspecting around the  _ izakaya _ . 

“Comfy. Welcoming, but also very private,” said Die.

“I can’t imagine people walking in with a sign like that,” said Kyo.

“Only for the keen eyed,” Toshiya added.

The table was soon occupied with little plates of food and alcohol. White steam rose from the mouthwatering dishes of grilled meat and rice cakes. Kaoru grew pink from all the laughter and alcohol intake. Even Shinya who was usually reserved joined in on the banter. The bottles kept coming and the glasses kept clinking. Kyo shied away from the alcohol and sipped his tea. In this moment in the darkness of a snowy night, a dimly lit  _ izakaya  _ provided enough brightness for the five members of Dir en grey.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had delayed the finale for such a long time, but here it is, the final chapter. It was a long journey writing this story and I hope readers are satisfied with this ending. Thank you so much for staying until the very end.


	25. Author's Note

I wouldn't say this was the first fan fiction I had ever written, but this was the first one that I had put so much effort into it. There was a certain point where I was wondering if the idea should have been an original novel with original characters as opposed to a fan fiction.  _ The Darkness Preys _ was first conceived in the autumn of 2015. Halloween was nearing and I wanted to write a scary story of some sort. After much daydreaming, the idea eventually evolved into a fan fiction after thinking, "What if Dir en grey was thrown into an unbelievable situation?". It was never specified in my story, but the events that occurred in the timeline was intended to begin on Halloween. To add to the scariness, I began drawing up ideas of grotesque and horror.

My aim was to create a fan fiction like no other. This is why I specified that it contain no pairings of any sort. This would be a story purely about trials and tribulations through horror, blood, and death. One of the biggest challenges was fleshing out real people into fictional characters. As much as I know about the members of Dir en grey, I still had freedom to change their character for the sake of the story. At the same time, I needed to retain a bit of reality so that the members' personalities wouldn't be too far fetched. For instance, Kaoru is the leader of the band in real life so I decided to incorporate that into the story by making him a responsible person. You see that he's usually the one deciding how to direct the other members in a crisis situation. Of course other little quirks are imagined by me though I do take inspiration from various interviews. Shinya is a reserved character so I gave very little dialogue to him. However it is known he can be very stubborn as revealed by other members so I typically reserve the sarcastic and snappy remarks for him. Die is an optimistic person so I made it so that he's always energetic and upbeat. Toshiya out of all members is perhaps the least developed in characters which was my greatest regret. Kyo on the other hand shows duality often times in his public appearances wavering between volatile and calmness so I chose him to be the most mysterious out of all characters.

During the writing, I was always struggling to maintain a balance between perspectives. Die was originally the main character, but I had changed it halfway through the story and made Kaoru the main character and Die became secondary. Juggling between two many different characters would be too confusing for the reader and it would be too difficult for me to keep track of. I didn't want too many characters in the story as well so I kept it at a minimum with some original characters of my own. They must add something to the story, but they cannot be too involved with the main characters. This was also the struggle to create the antagonist, Mavros. Even after completing the fan fiction, I am not completely satisfied with the creation of Mavros as a villain. I made someone an embodiment of complete evil, but he had no purpose other than perpetuating events.

The different supernatural appearances that you see in the story spur from my interest in folklore and magic. The ones you see in The Darkness Preys are a mixture of Eastern and Western beliefs. I had assigned each member of the band to a different supernatural ailment. It may not be too obvious, but the different poisonous animals that attack the individual members are related to the Five Poisons in Chinese culture. Though the five animals may vary from different accounts, snake, scorpion, centipede, and toad are generally accepted. Toshiya's episode involved  _ gu _ or  _ kodoku _ depending on the language you prefer to use. It was ancient way of cursing someone by having your intended target consume a poison in the form of insect larvae. The larvae would in turn destroy you over time resulting in death. The whole creation of the  _ rasetsu _ and Kaoru's vision was all  _ kodoku _ related. The idea of having multiple poisonous beasts consume each other to create an even more poisonous substance resulted in my imagined spell of creating a monster through the most vile means. You see that as a result it created  _ rasetsu _ Kyo who had an appetite for human meat and was stripped of any emotions or thoughts. As much as I wanted to put more folklore into the story, too much would result in overwhelming the reader. Plus it would take away from the main story, which was why I stopped writing too much about Kaoru's dreams because they are chock full of symbols.

Will I make a sequel to  _ The Darkness Preys _ ? I am in fact sketching out an outline of a possible sequel. Writing this fan fiction was a delight and took me a whole year to work on it. I think I will be willing to spend another whole year on writing a new fan fiction. Thank you to the readers that have completed the crazy journey together.


	26. Special Chapter

As an appendix to The Darkness Preys, this special chapter is dedicated to all the lore used in the story. You may think of it as an index documenting all the supernatural appearances and related symbols.

**The Five Poisons**

The Five Poisons of Chinese origin refer to the five poisonous beasts. The belief dates back to ancient times. When the lunar calendar hits the fifth day of the fifth month, it is said that evil spirits appear along with infectious illness and misfortune. This is due to the fact that it is midsummer and a tendency to see a rise of insect appearances is quite common. The five poisonous beasts differ from historical accounts. The five I happen to choose were the toad for Kyo, newt/lizard for Die, snake for Shinya, centipede for Toshiya, and scorpion for Kaoru. I reserved snake specifically for Shinya due to his fear of snakes.

**Gu/Kodoku**

If you remember from the chapter, Kaoru had explained the origin of Chinese gu. Gu has always been associated with Chinese black magic and has long been associated with evil practices. Gu has almost always began its form as a worm known as “jincan” or golden silkworm. The story goes that jincan can produce gold for its owner just as long as a human sacrifice is made regularly. Otherwise, the owner themselves will suffer and end up dying. Thus it is typically sent to one’s enemies in the disguise of a gift in hopes that the new owner will die slowly in excruciating pain.

The Chinese character for gu (蛊，蠱)  is made up of the words vessel (皿) and insect (虫，蟲). This also refers to the common iconography of gu being cultivated using insects. A method commonly used is to have multiple poisonous insects consume each other until only one is left. The survivor is the most venomous of all and becomes the gu itself. Gu also can refer to sorcery for cursing as a whole, a seduction or a temptation, a haunting of a ghost, or a type of poisoning found abdominally. The definitions vary, but in the end, it is still evil. The various myths in Chinese history shaped the multiple definitions. Due to the tangible meaning of gu, I had great liberties of extracting and molding it into the story.

**Talisman**

The talismans I described in the stories are Chinese fu and Japanese ofuda. You see them liberally used in stories of exorcism. Both involves consecration and writing done on paper. Chinese fu stems from esoteric Taoism. As there are two different sects of Taoism, the use of talismans, spells, and rituals are considered “Tao of the Left”, not to be confused with “The Left Hand Path” commonly grouped with Satanists and Luciferians. They may share some similar ideas in some aspects, but are not quite in the same ballpark in terms of belief.

Japanese ofuda originated from Chinese fu in that Japanese Onmyoudou incorporates Chinese Taoist beliefs. In the chapter, I See You, the charm that Shinya uses to expel the hospital ghost was an ofuda. I took the inspiration from onmyouji stories where they use consecrated parchment to banish evil spirits. The fu found on the body of the newt in Die’s apartment in is a spell to change properties. Think of it like a shape-shifting spell commonly used by wizards to disguise the true nature of objects.

**Evil Spirits**

Evil spirits come in many forms and the lore differs from culture to culture. I used the more common belief of having skeletal remains conjure up an unwanted spirit as seen in Trapped in the Dreambox. Evil spirits can haunt you in several different ways. They can manifest themselves physically like in The Apparition and Merciless and cause supernatural phenomena such as moving objects without touching them. In the very few stories I have heard, evil spirits can enter dreams. I incorporated this idea into the story because if benign spirits can enter one’s dream to pass a message, why wouldn’t a malevolent one do the same? Hauntings are very similar to paranoia and hallucination so with the case of Shinya, he was in a great state of distress where he couldn’t really tell reality and illusion.

**Spirits in General**

While some occultists may disagree, I used the idea of spirits being balls of energy. The reason why lights flicker is because of the presence of more energy. At least that’s the theory I use. Energy comes in many forms such as waves and particles, it would make sense that spirits can transverse through technology such as phones and televisions.

**Hex Bags**

This one I’ll admit to taking from Supernatural, but the belief of pagan witches created spells came from ages ago. There’s a spell for all sorts of uses and you can see by browsing the web, it will yield you billions of results.

**Rasetsu**

Rasetsu is the Japanese pronunciation of Rakshasa. They appear in Hindu and Buddhist mythology as flesh eaters. Rakshasa are often depicted as ugly with claws and carry an insatiable appetite for human flesh. In Vedic tradition, rakshasa were created from Brahma’s breath, but they were so filled with violent bloodlust that they began to eat Brahma alive. In Buddhist stories when the rakshasa were subdued, they became guardians of the Buddhist faith.

Since rakshasa are such violent creatures, I named it the final boss of the story as a cultivation of all the evil that occurred in the past chapters. Rasetsu Kyo is not a true Kyo, therefore he is void of emotion and memory. He essentially is the jincan, the result of Mavros’ gu.

**Trees**

Tree worship is prevalent in a lot of cultures where the belief is that spiritual entities reside in plants and nature itself. In parts of Asia, you may see that offerings are made to old trees. Particularly large trees in Shinto shrines have holy rope on them to note their special status.

**Dragons**

Eastern dragons are often regarded as good as opposed to their Western counterparts. They are bringers of rain and gods that rule over the lands. I took liberties in naming one as a mountain god.

**Mugwort**

Mugwort is used in traditional Chinese, Korean, and Japanese medicine for its healing properties. Because of its usefulness in ancient times for being able to relieve many ailments, the properties of ridding evil has been attributed to the plant. In Chinese and Japanese tradition, people hang dried mugwort in the house as a means of purification and barring of evil spirits entering.

The primary use for mugwort is moxibustion where you apply mugwort on acupunctural points and burn it. It is briefly described in Death Trap when Kaoru burns mugwort on the scorpion bite.


End file.
